Never Crossed My Mind
by CarbonOxygen
Summary: John Cena returns after his injury. Now he's back with his friends. But what if he began to grow feelings for one of his diva friends? And what if she felt the same way, too? JohnCenaxMaria. First Fanfic. R&R.
1. Comebacks and Longings

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story.

**Comebacks and Longings**

"I'll be ready in 2 weeks" a deep voice said through Vince McMahon's phone.

"You keep yourself healthy then. You can report to work in 2 weeks but your on screen comeback should be in 2 months. With all the cover-up stories for suspensions to be made, the Creative Writing team had to give up the time needed to make your storyline. In the meantime, help with the training of the new superstars and the divas." Vince replied.

"Ok. Bye Vince, Sir."

"Bye."

The WWE Chairman smiled at himself. He gave himself a mental pat on the back. His company continues to be a success. His superstars are doing a great job. What's more, one of his main eventers would be returning. The Titantron will soon be hinting the return of John Cena.

--

"Wow. I feel great! I got all my strength back. Geez, I hope the Creative Writing team gives me back my title. I'm stronger now. Hehe." John murmured as he closed his eyes.

_Ring Ring!!!_

He looked at who's calling him. It was his best friend, Randy Orton.

"Hey champ!" Randy hollered.

"What makes you so sure they'll have me winning over Shawn? (Shawn won the title from Randy)" John asked, puzzled.

"Hey! I didn't say that! You are an uncrowned champ, aren't you? Besides, you're still champion in our pie eating contest. Believe me, that was the first time and definitely the last time that I'll pull off something as crazy as that. I have done some crazy things, but that… that was just…." Randy chuckled while shaking his head.

"Can't argue with that." John grinned mischievously.

"Aight, gotta go, man. Still got a date. You go lift some weights." Randy joked.

"A date, huh?" John raised a brow.

"Damn! You take it literally. I'm gonna train with Shawn. I don't get it with that guy. He's already good; I'm already good, so why do we still have to train?" Randy complained.

"Maybe he doesn't want injuries. That's what everyone wants… obviously." He said, rolling his eyes. "Aight. See you in 2 weeks!" He continued.

"Wha… ALL RIGHT!!! Wooooooo!" John heard over the phone before he hung up. He chuckled.

_This is gonna be great!!! _John thought.

--

Mickie James entered the Diva Locker Room, seeing a pretty brunette staring into space. She looked kind of sad.

"Hey Ria, why so glum?" Mickie asked Maria with concern.

Maria's mind went back to where she was. "Uh… No, I'm not. Just you know thinking."

"Really? About what? Or who?" Mickie asked teasingly.

"Hey! Whatever Mickie!" Maria glared "It's a 'what'!" she said while pouting.

"So what is it then?" Her best friend demanded.

"Well, I have been here for a long time. Candice got to be Women's Champ already. They haven't given me my big break yet."

"Did I hear someone call me?" Said a voice as a beautiful diva entered the locker room.

"Hey Candice!!!" The two divas welcomed her.

"Ria's feeling bad 'cause she doesn't earn a title shot." Mickie explained.

"Aww, Maria… Don't feel that way. You will get that title shot, sweetie." Candice hugged her.

"No, I don't think so. I've been here for so long. It's unfair. The two of you get to be called former women's champions, and here I am, always with you guys, the only one who isn't a champion. I even think they'll give Jillian a title shot earlier than me."

"No way! Maria, I'm sure they'll make you champ soon. You are getting better in the ring, you know." Candice remarked.

"I sure hope so." Maria sighed.

"Now who wants to play hide and seek? This is gonna be fun. The arena is huge!!!!" Mickie said excitedly.


	2. Just My Friend

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story.

**Just My Friend**

"Oof" a faint sound escaped Maria's lips as she bumped into someone.

"Sorry. Should have watched where I was going." She said uninterestingly.

"No… I should have watched where I was going." A familiar voice said.

She looked up to find none other than the uncrowned champion himself, John Cena, smiling at her.

"Oh my gosh!!! John, you're back! How's life… or muscle…?" She got up to him excitedly. Then, she gave him a friendly hug. He was one of her guy best friends and she missed him a lot.

"Haha. It's a lot better now. Fully recovered. I came here to help in training you divas and the new superstars. But, Vince told me that my on-screen comeback would still be in 2 months."

"Mr. Cena. I see you have arrived." Vince said as he came nearer to the two. "Proceed to my office. And Ms. Kanellis, pass by Stephanie's office. She has something to tell you."

"Yes, Vince." They said in unison.

"Aish. I wonder what Steph has to say this time. I bet it's a promo again. This storyline's gonna be romantic, just like the others." She made a face as she made her way to Steph's office.

--

_Wow… I have never seen her look this beautiful. Why haven't I noticed it before? We have been friends for a long time, and now is the only time I ever seen her so gorgeous. Shake it off, John. It's only because of my long absence. It's nothing… nothing at all. But it's so amazing that it didn't come to my mind before that she had the most beautiful eyes and… wow…. WTF am I saying?! Maria's just a friend…_

"John, are you alright?" Vince's voice seemed to come from a distance to John.

"Cena? What the hell!" His voice became clearer.

"Huh?" Cena snapped back to reality. "I'm sorry. My mind drifted off. I didn't mean it."

"Well," Vince breathed a sigh of relief, then had a stern look on his face. "Make sure it doesn't drift off again!"

"Yes, sir."

"Anyway, I was talking about…."

John listened to Vince for the rest of the meeting. The topics were not much importance to anyone other than them.

--

_Knock Knock_

"Come in." Stephanie McMahon's voice was muffled from where Maria was standing, outside Steph's office). She went inside anyway.

"Steph? Vince told me to pass by your office. He told me you got something to tell me." It was obvious that she was not interested in what Steph had to say.

"Ah, Maria. Yes. I do have something to tell you. And it's gonna change your career forever!" Stephanie said enthusiastically.

Maria rolled her eyes in her mind. She heard that line every time there was a new story line to be given to her.

"Oh. Is it a new romantic storyline? With whom this time?" she tried as hard as she can to sound excited, just to show respect.

"Maria, ---"

She was interrupted by the loud opening of the door.

"Ms. Stephanie!" A crewman unfamiliar to Maria burst in.

"You need to contact your team at once! Mr. McMahon wants John Cena to have a romantic storyline." He explained.

"What?! Those kind of things are up to us, you know!" Stephanie blurted out "I gotta talk with dad about this, right now!"

She was about to leave the room when…

"Erm, Steph, what were you going to say?" Maria asked quickly.

"Oh… Maria!" She turned around and faced her surprisingly, completely forgetting Maria was still there.

"I'm sorry Maria. This is urgent. I suggest you come back sooner or later. I'm so, so, very sorry." The billion-dollar princess apologized.

"Yeah. Sure. Of course." Maria said quietly. She would not be heard anyway.

She heard her cellphone ring and looked at the sender of the text message she received.

_Ria, wanna hang out? Later at 8. Food and drinks on me._

It was from John.

_Love to. I'll pass by your room later. Just us two?_

She replied.

_Nope. I passed by Randy, Mickie and Candice a while ago. Candice is the only one who couldn't come._

A reply came after a few minutes.

_Ok. See you later._

She smiled as she sent her last text.

_John looks hotter this time. Wonder if the recuperation did it. If he wasn't such a close friend to me, I'd say I like-like him._ Maria thought

She returned to her locker room to fix her things. She reviewed her 'conversation' with Stephanie McMahon and started to wonder what her news really was.

"I guess I'll just have to wait." She told herself.

--

John and Maria entered the restaurant-bar. Her watch said 8:00pm. Just right for late night get-togethers.

"John, Ria, over here!" They heard Randy Orton shout from somewhere at their right.

They looked over there and saw him sitting alone, but there were four chairs. They made their way to the table.

"Where's Mickie?" Maria asked Randy, eager to see one of her best friends.

"Restroom. She has been there for a long time. I wonder what's in ladies restrooms that make you stay there a lot." Randy replied as he kept looking at the restroom door.

"Mirrors." She joked. "I'll get her"

When she entered the restroom, Mickie James was there looking at mirror. She was fixing herself. She glanced at Maria's direction and grinned. "Hey! You're here. Perfect. Did you bring mascara?" She asked.

"No, Mickie. Come on. You don't need mascara. You're pretty enough." Maria complimented.

"Aww. Thanks." She paused for a while. " I'm hungry." But she wasn't moving from where she was standing.

Maria raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? If you were hungry, you would have gone out of here minutes ago. C'mon. the guys are waiting."

"But, I didn't retouch my hair yet." She said pouting.

"Mickieeeeee"

"Hey, I was only kidding. Now, let's go. This place rocks. They actually serve pizza." she commented. "Oh no! Maybe the boys ordered and ate the pizza already! Come on Maria, we gotta catch them!"

Maria shook her head and laughed at the sense of humor of her friend.

While Maria and Mickie were talking, John and Randy had their own conversation, a more serious one.

"You missed a lot when you were gone." Randy started.

"Yeah? Sucks for me. I really missed being in the WWE." John had a serious face.

"WWE missed you, too. Almost all of us thought we had to work our asses off to entertain the fans. Good thing Shawn came back. He was very entertaining."

"Yeah…"

"So where's the pizza?" Mickie James arrived at the table, with Maria following behind. "Don't you dare hide it from me 'cause I swear you do not, I mean DO NOT want to feel the wrath of a hungry Mickie James!"

"Whoa, Mickie. We didn't even order yet. We waited for you guys." John said, startled.

"Well, okay then." Mickie said, as if nothing happened. Giggles came from Maria. The boys shrugged their shoulders.

They ordered their food and while waiting…

"I wonder if I'll get my title back." John wondered(duh)

"In case you do, I can get it easy." Randy grinned evilly.

"Oh please! That's like Melina beating Beth Phoenix." Mickie snorted.

"Says you. Like you could beat her." Randy reacted.

"Of course I could. I'm a former WWE Women's Champion!" She shot back.

"And who beat you? Melina did. Ha! I had to wrestle good wrestlers like Paul(HHH) to get my title!" Randy sneered.

"Guys, stop arguing. Come on. It's not worth it. Remember our championship reigns are based on our storylines. Chill out. Now, make peace." John said before a brawl could start.

At the mention of the word 'storyline' Maria began to feel sad. She looked at the people with her at the table. They all used to be champions, even Candice, who wasn't even there. She wanted to feel how they felt, to have that moment of glory. No, she wasn't jealous… just… curious.

"Maria, are you alright?" John noticed her expression. It was not like her. Usually, she was alert and happy. Now her eyes were saying something else. That sadness she felt traveled to John. He felt sad, too.

"Yeah…" She said quietly

"Are you sure?" Randy wanted to make sure.

"Look, if this is about Randy and I fighting, it's nothing. We made up already. See?" She assured Maria, even giving Randy a high five.

"No, no. It's not that. Just forget it. It's nothing." Maria insisted that she's alright.

"Well, if it makes you happy, I'll give you ¼ of my share of pizza." Mickie offered. "Speaking of pizza, here it comes now."

Maria grinned. She loved the fact that Mickie James was one of her best friends. She always made her happy. "No Mickie. My share's just enough."

As they ate, they talked. Several times, John would glance at Maria. Her eyes were as beautiful as gems to him. But he swore there was still, even if only little sadness in them. Once, their eyes met and they both felt it, the feeling of electricity flowing through their veins. Too bad they shook it off, thinking it was just because of the cold drinks. Before going home, they did a lot of dancing. A LOT. Worn out by it, they went back to their hotel. What were on their minds?

_Ah… Pizza with Pals! Best thing ever._ –Mickie

_Good friends, Good times! No. Great friends, Great times!_ – Randy

_The five of us, together again. Yay! I only wish Candice came with us._ –Maria

_I'm so lucky to have thee kind of friends._ –John

FRIENDSHIP.

--

For those people who read my fanfic, and want to continue reading it… I MIGHT only update once a week. Still got school, you know… I got a busy schedule. :D.

Thanks to my first reviewers. You're a great help.


	3. Why

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story.

**Why?**

It was Monday noon when Maria decided to roam the arena. She went from locker room to locker room, in and out of the ring and to the seats on the bleachers. She had nothing to prepare for, just an interview with Jeff Hardy. She had no one to talk to. Her friends were all busy training. She sat on one of the seats. She closed her eyes and savored the peacefulness.

"Hey. What's a girl like you doing in a lonely place like this?" She heard someone say. She recognized it as Jeff Hardy's.

"Oh? I don't think it's lonely. It's kinda peaceful actually." She replied; her eyes still closed.

"You're like Matt, sitting on the bleachers before a show." He remarked.

She didn't know what to reply.

"Don't you have anything to prepare for? I mean, for the show?" Jeff broke the silence.

Maria opened her eyes to see a puzzled look on his face. "Just our interview. And you know what to answer anyway."

"Yeah. Right."

Silence again.

"So how do you do it?" This time it was Maria's turn to break the silence.

"What?"

"You know, all the high flying moves and minimal injuries." Maria eagerly asked.

"I'd say a lot of training… and perfect timing." He answered.

"I see. And how 'bout your hair?" She grinned.

"We-ell… first, I shampoo my hair. The-en, I condition it from scalp to tips. I blow dry my hair and I comb it until it's silky smoooooth. And I retouch my hair dye twice a month." He said in a girly way, even showing of his fingernails.

It looked so funny that Maria took a long time to stop. "No, seriously, how?"

"Nah, I just make sure it's not dry." He returned to his old self.

Then he saw Maria's nails. It was so sparkly and red.

"But I do my nails better than my hair." And he showed Maria his fingers. The colors were different in each nail and all colors were neon.

"Ooh. Can you do mine sometime?" she marveled at his nails.

"Sure. If I have the time… or if you have the time… or anytime were free." He finally decided what to say.

"Yippee!" She clapped her hands.

"Alright, let's get back to what you were doing." He sat beside Maria, closed his eyes and made a face.

"Hey! That's not how I did it!" Maria retorted while hitting him on the shoulder.

"Ok, fine! Alright, I'm just kidding, woman!" He said with big eyes. He did it again, but this time, without the face.

_Aww, he looks so cute._

Maria blinked. And blinked again. There was no way she said that.

She shook her head, closed her eyes, and enjoyed the tranquility with her new friend.

--

"And I was like 'They look good together'…" John heard Candice say out of earshot to other divas. Among them are Mickie, Melina, and Lilian.

"Who does?" John couldn't help but ask. Curiosity overcame him.

"Yeah. Who?" He twirled to see Maria waiting at the door. Apparently, she heard Candice, too.

Mickie had a HUGE grin on her face. "Why did you hide it from us?!"

"What are you guys talking about?" She asked, confused.

John was puzzled, too, but he said nothing.

"You see, we were gonna train in the ring when we saw in the farthest bleachers you and Mr. Jeff Hardy sitting next to each other with you eyes closed and smiles on your faces." Candice said. Then, she looked at Mickie and the other divas and they all squealed in unison.

John looked annoyed. He was annoyed. He didn't know why.

"You didn't tell us you were _close_." Mickie teased.

"Hey! You guys! We're just friends! Mickie and Randy are together all the time, too! Ha!"

"Yeah… but Randy and I do not deny that we're close. And we don't sit on bleachers and close our eyes. We work out and kick arse." Mickie defended herself.

Candice laughed, "Yeah. She's got a point."

"Mickie! Candice! Jeff and I would never happen," she said, but unexpectedly bit her finger. "Even if he is cute."

Maria was blushing. "Ooooh. Maria likes Jeff!!!" Melina squealed.

John could not believe Maria said that. He wanted her to take it back.

_Why??!!!!!! _He screamed in his mind. But then he thought, _Wait. I shouldn't be mad. I should be happy like the other divas. I should be squealing with them. No, not squealing, but at least happy. Yeah._

"You guys look so cute together!!!" Lilian said with an "awww"-ing face.

"Shhhh… No telling. He's more of a friend. It's only this teeny tiny crush." Maria tried to quiet down her friends, to no avail. She asked help from John.

"Ladies, ladies! I have a surprise for you all." John said, coming to Maria's rescue. It sure shut the divas up. They gave him an excited look.

John smiled mischievously. "Just kidding."

"JOHN!!" They all glared at him. It looked so scary that any man who would be the receiver of the glares would be scarred for life. Luckily, John didn't look. He turned around and slowly went away.

"Now wait just a minute! You can't go fooling us around without getting punished." Candice nagged John.

Next thing Maria knew, John was running down the hallway with Mickie and Candice chasing him holding those hard square pillows found on sofas.

Maria was left laughing with the other divas.

--

"John Felix Anthony Cena, come back here right this instant!" Candice shouted.

"Yeah. What she said." Mickie agreed.

"Nuh-uh. You're not my mother. Even if you said my whole name, I won't risk my dignity." John refused.

"Ha. You think running away from us would save your dignity." Candice smirked.

John saw Randy Orton talking to a girl who seemed to help with the sounds.

"Randyyy!!! Hehehelp meeeeee!" John ran to him and hid behind his back desperately.

"WTF is wrong with you, man? Can't you see I'm busy? Uh, that is sooo gay… and childi… woah, woah, woah, what the hell?!" He couldn't finish his sentence because the girls arrived with the pillows. They started hitting John and because John was holding on to Randy, he got hit too.

"Now… oof… I understand." He understood (duh).

Wow! Oof- this- oof- is the- oof- thanks I get- oof- for helping! OoF!" John said in between oofs.

"Helping who?" Randy asked.

"Me! Hahaha!" Maria caught up with them.

"Gerroff!!! I've been punished enough already! Yeah, after helping my friend, her best friends beat me up. Wow… That is so fair." John said with his answering-questions-in-an-interview voice while rolling his eyes.

"Mr. Orton, I'll go now." The girl Randy was talking to excused herself. Everyone looked at her.

"Call me Randy. And I'll call you. Let's go out on Wednesday. I'm free." He winked.

"Ok."

_What?! Randy! That's your time with me! I mean us… your best friends in the whole wide world!!!_

Mickie James screamed in her mind. She was annoyed. She didn't know why.

_No way! I wasn't just selfish with Randy… Ok… It never happened._

She shrugged off whatever she felt.

"You caught a nice one, my friend. Just got to say, if it doesn't work out, please let me go out with her." John said.

Without anyone's knowledge. Maria rolled her eyes.

She was annoyed. She didn't know why.

"Hey Candice…" came the voice of Raw's resident loudmouth Ken Anderson a.k.a. Mr. Kennedy. Candice rolled her eyes.

"You are busy, Anderson. Go away."

"Yeah. I am. But I'll give time for you Candice. And you can call me Ken." He said and winked at her.

"No thanks." Candice replied bluntly.

"Fine! I still know you want me." Then he walked away.

"I AM SO ANNOYED RIGHT NOW!" She almost pulled her hair from her scalp… ALMOST.

"On-screen or off-screen. That guy is wayyyy cocky… Aghh!!!"

"Yeah. Ken is soooo annoying. And it's almost all the time… Right, Randy?" Jillian said as she passed by them, batting her eyelashes at Randy.

It was Randy's turn to roll his eyes. "Look who's talking." He whispered to Mickie, and she giggled.

Randy and Candice were annoyed. And this time, they knew why.

_AN: Yeah. I kinda think that was lame. Am I being too evil? Sorry, I'll make it up… eventually. Thanks to JClvr, MariaCenaFan and MissPhilippinesSuperStar for the reviews. I hope more will come. :D._


	4. Storylines, Storylines

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story. I don't own the song either. It's by Jordin Sparks… or whoever you want.

**Storylines, Storylines**

_This is my now_

_And I am breathing in the moment  
As I look around  
I can't believe the love I see  
my fears behind me_

_Gone are the shadows and doubts  
that was then, this is my now._

Maria was listening to her iPod when a thought rushed through her head.

_STEPH! How could I forget?_

She turned off her iPod and inserted it in her bag before she rushed through the door. She raced down the hall until she reached Stephanie McMahon's office. Panting, Maria knocked on the door.

"Come in." Stephanie said. And so Maria did. "Yes?" she said as she heard the door close. She glanced at the door and saw Maria standing there.

"Good. You're here. I was about to call for you." She said with a smile.

"I am so sorry. It just slipped my mind for a while." Maria apologized with all her heart.

"No. it's okay, really." Stephanie disregarded the apology. "Okay, I remember telling you that I have news that's gonna change your life forever, right?"

"Yes." Maria quickly replied. _Yeah… Another storyline with Anthony Carelli (Santino Marella. How unlucky._

Maria absolutely hated the guy. No wonder they turned him into a heel. He had no respect for the Divas. He thinks they all like him, even though it is evident that they despise him. Worst of all, he likes Maria the most, but let's just say it's not because of love.

"So, you're still going to continue your kayfabe romance with Carelli…" Steph started.

_NOOOO!!!_

"… But it's not going to last long anymore…"

_YESSSS!!!_

"… Because you're going to start a kayfabe romance with John---"

"What?! Which John?" Maria had to know.

"I was about to say John Cena." Stephanie grinned.

_Whew. At least it's John, one I am comfortable with_. Maria thought with relief.

"Okay… It's a storyline with John, because dad thinks it would be cool if we have 2 champions having a romantic relationship." Steph just couldn't stop herself from smiling.

"Two champions?" Maria was puzzled but soon she got it. "Oh… What the fff…."

"That's right, you're not only going to get a title shot, you're gonna be champ, too. And John gets his title back in the same PPV you're gonna get yours, which is in 3 months. This is the first PPV after John Cena's return. Now, what happens is that you're gonna pass each other in the hallway and congratulate each other. And that's where the love begins." Steph was on a roll!

"OH MY GOSH! I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS!" Maria shouted for joy. It was so loud that the entire locker room could have heard her.

"Ooh Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!" She wanted to hug Steph so badly but she decided to keep her composure (if you call saying 'thank you' many times like a little kid composure).

"You don't know how much this means to me, Steph! I can now actually…" she stopped. "…never mind. Oooh." She squealed.

Just then, a thought came to her head. She faced Steph seriously.

"If this was about John having a romantic storyline with the Women's Champion, why me?"

"Because, we decided to make you champion before we decided to have a kayfabe romance." Stephanie replied as simple as that.

Flashback 

"_Maria, ---"_

_She was interrupted by the loud opening of the door. _

"_Ms. Stephanie!" A crewman unfamiliar to Maria burst in._

"_You need to contact your team at once! Mr. McMahon wants John Cena to have a romantic storyline." He explained._

"_What?! Those kind of things are up to us, you know!" Stephanie blurted out "I gotta talk with dad about this, right now!"_

End Flashback 

Maria, satisfied with Steph's reply, excitedly asked if she could leave. When Steph said yes, she practically skipped out of the office.

The first person she saw was none other than John Cena. Involuntarily, Maria ran to him and gave him an oxygen shortening bear hug tighter than Mark Henry's. Unexpectedly, John hugged her back.

"Ohmygoshicantbelieveimgonnabewomenschampionandweregonnabeloversontv… Ahhh…" She squealed while squeezing John.

_(AN: That was "Oh my gosh. I can't believe I'm gonna be Women's Champion and we're gonna be lovers on TV! Ahhh.")_

"Okay, Maria! You can let go now…" John said, out of breath. He secretly didn't want it to end though.

"I don't wanna." She refused to let go of him. She liked the feeling of being in his arms.

"All right then." John agreed without thinking. It was a reply that was so happily said.

Realizing what they just did, they backed away from each other. They were blushing like crazy and they never felt so awkward.

"Uhh… sorry." They said together.

_Why did I say sorry? We used to hug before. It just feels so different now._ John thought. Little did he know that Maria was thinking the same thing.

_No! Why did I say sorry? It would just make matters worse. I shouldn't feel awkward. But… the feeling is weird. No. Do NOT feel awkward Maria._

"Guys! What are you staring at? And why are you guys red?" Candice's voice disrupted their thoughts.

_Thank goodness! _John and Maria thought. They were thankful that Candice broke the ice.

"Come on. What are you waiting for? RAW starts in 3 hours. Hurry up! We got to get ready!" Candice hurried the couple.

"Okay!" John and Maria said together.

--

At one side of Diva's Locker Room, the three best friends were talking.

"Hey, I got something to tell you guys. But promise me you won't tell any Diva unless I say so, ok?" Maria whispered with a big grin on her face as she applied make up.

"Okay. You know you can trust us." Mickie said.

"Yes. We promise." Candice said.

"Ok. I'm not sure if John has told Randy about this but I'm gonna be Women's Champion!" She bit her lip so she could refrain from screaming. So did Mickie and Candice.

"Eeek… Congratulations sweetie!!! Oh I'm so happy for you!!!" Mickie hugged her.

"See! See! See! I told you they were gonna make you champion sometime!!!" Candice was crazy about her best friend's accomplishment.

"Shhh." Maria reminded them to be quiet.

"And what's more, I'm gonna be in a romantic storyline with John." She added.

"What? Which John?" They asked together.

"Haha. Cena. Duh." She laughed as she remembered that she asked the same question to Steph.

"Ooh. You're living my life, girl!" Mickie said. "Of course, except the romance with John. But still, you're gonna bring it!"

"Yeah. She's got that right. Go Ria! You are so gonna rock!" Candice said, supporting Maria.

--

Maria was getting standing in the hallway, waiting for RAW to start.

"Ah! Maria!" Maria scowled as she heard the annoying voice of Anthony Carelli.

"Anthony, while we're not going live yet, please don't talk to me." She wouldn't take it anymore if he would rant about how good he looks (yeah right).

"Haha! Maria! You do not have to play hard to get." He said. Then he put his arm around Maria and rested his arm on her shoulder.

_Blech! _She thought. _Whatever!_

"Get off, Anthony! NOW!" She commanded. She failed. He just wouldn't move.

"Do you have a problem, Carelli?" John Cena asked, once again coming to Maria's rescue.

"No. Do you? Because, you know, you should mind your own business." He shrugged arrogantly.

"You know, if you're not gonna back off Maria, you should start working out. Because once I get back on TV, I'm going to have a storyline with her. And it involves fighting you, and you don't like me to fight seriously. Oh yeah. Most of Maria's businesses are also mine. And apparently, this is one of those businesses." John was becoming annoyed.

With that, Carelli backed off and went away. Just like that.

"Thanks John." Maria was so grateful to have him for a friend.

"Anything for you." John bowed down jokingly.

Maria giggled. John said he had to go or else McMahon would explode.

RAW started. The diva match was Maria versus Jillian. It was the usual match. It ended as Maria pinned Jillian down after she hit her with a bulldog. John watched the match from the TV. He was impressed at Maria because she was getting good in the ring.

Every move was graceful but full of energy. She looked so powerful.

He just can't wait for the storyline to take action.

--

Maria returned to the locker room to get her things. She found her bag was still open and her iPod fell out. She decided she wanted to listen to music so she turned it on. When the backlight flashed, she saw that 'This is My Now' was still on pause. With a smile on her face, she pressed the 'back' button and repeated the song. It was just the right song for her.

-.-.-.-.-.-

_AN: Sorry. I'm not really good in making wrestling scenes. I only made one in my one-shot, First Few Days. Dang, I gotta listen more to Jerry Lawler and J.R. Lol. Thanks again for the reviews! But I wanna earn more. So please R&R. And I'll try to update as soon as possible._


	5. Could Be

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story.

**Could Be**

John lay on his bed with his hands at the back of his head, enjoying the silence of his room. He was internalizing on his return. He could not help but think of the reactions of his fans. _Will they still support me? _He thought about his body, and when his next injury will come. And he chuckled. Then, he thought about his conversation with Stephanie McMahon concerning his return.

Flashback 

"John, I hope you are ready with your return. I know we are. And I bet the fans are, too." Stephanie McMahon told John Cena.

"Well, it's great to hear that I'm coming back. I have wanted to return ever since I got my cast off." He said with a smile on his face.

"I will give you a brief overview of your storyline." Steph said, looking at John. "The WWE Championship Belt, as you know, has been in four hands since your injury. Paul, Randy, Shawn and Chris held the title. Of course, Randy held it twice… but then Chris won the title from him. Now, since you didn't actually lose the title, and you had to relinquish it, you return to take it back. You are going to be successful with that, but there's a catch." Steph paused.

"And that would be?" John urged her to continue.

"You would be in a romantic storyline with the Women's Champion." She finished.

"Wait… With Beth?" John said in disbelief.

"Heavens, no." She shook her head. But there was no hiding the smile on her face. "With Maria."

"So that would mean…" His voice faded.

Then there was silence.

"Finally! I've always wanted her to be champion. She just has so much talent in her. It's finally gonna pay off." John grinned. "Does she know?" He asked.

"Not yet. I wanna see the reaction on her face. So don't tell her." She wagged a finger at him.

"It's a deal then. Wow, this is great. I'm gonna be in a storyline with her! Maria…" He said dreamily (Not like him, I know, but people act differently when they like someone. LoL).

He noticed Steph raised an eyebrow at him.

"I just said that out loud, didn't I?" He said as his cheeks turned red.

Steph nodded before shaking her head pitifully.

"Well, forget it, Steph. It doesn't mean anything." He told her. It was getting embarrassing.

"Whatever, John. You may go." She said, hinting that she has something else to do.

"Bye, Steph. Thanks."

End Flashback 

Out of the blue, he laughed out loud. He can't believe he said Maria's name "dreamily". It was crazy. _What the hell is wrong with me?_ He thought. It just didn't cross his mind that he could be in love. Could he be in love? That is something we have yet to find out.

--

Meanwhile, Maria was in _her _hotel room, which she shared with Candice and Mickie. She was staring at the blank wall before her.

"Thinking about Jeff?" Candice asked Maria teasingly.

Maria glared at her. "No way!" She denied. "I just decided on something."

"And you're not gonna tell me about it?" Mickie's voice came from the bathroom. She just finished taking a bath.

"I was. I decided that I'm gonna focus on nothing else but my career." She informed her friends. "I'm gonna train hard and stay fit. I'll concentrate."

"Sweetie, all work and no play is bad for you." Mickie told her best friend, concerned.

"Yeah, you don't have to wear yourself out." Candice agreed with Mickie. "You need parties, too."

"No… I didn't mean I would be working out 24/7. I would still go to parties and shopping sprees and stuff like that. I'm just saying, I wouldn't go on dates anymore. This girl is now boy-free." She explained.

"Aw. Well, that's too bad. But, that's your decision. Just promise us you won't be worn out. You know, going out once in a while is not that bad." Candice held her best friend's hand.

"I promise. Alright, I'll try to go out with guys… occasionally." Maria assured her friends.

"So, does this mean no more Jeff and Maria?" Mickie asked, disappointed.

"Nope. The only man I'll be 'dating' with is John. It will be John and Maria from now on." She grinned.

Mickie and Candice gasped. "Maria!"

"What? It's true. We have a romantic storyline, remember. If only it were true." She had a far-away look on her face.

She mentally slapped herself.

"Oh no." She looked at her friends.

"Boy –free, huh?" Mickie raised an eyebrow.

"Uh… I was just… hehe… kidding…?" Maria thought of a good excuse.

"Yeah right. Whatever!" Candice grinned.

"But it's true!!! I WAS kidding."

"Uh huh… We'll be in the café. Boy-free. Yeah right." Candice giggled.

"GUYS!" She called, but it was too late. The door closed.

She rested her head on the pillow. "Aghh!!!"

_No way, I didn't just say that out loud. Why did I even think that? I just decided I would not be deterred by any man. Great, Maria. Your will power is very strong. Yeah right. _Little did she know she's in the same dilemma John is having. Could it be that she, too is in love with him? I have no idea. :D. That is for us to yet find out… eventually.

_--_

John Cena was bored. He suddenly had an idea. He got his cell phone and sent a text to Maria. This was the conversation.

_Hi. xJohn_

_Hey. What's up? xRia_

_Nothing, really. xJohn_

_Oh? Ok. xRia_

_So, you got something to do? xJohn_

_Nope. My training session is still tomorrow. I'm not really in the mood to do anything. xRia_

_Me too. I got training tomorrow too. Anyway, wanna go out or something? xJohn_

_No thank you. I promised myself I wouldn't go out on any date unless work demands it. Haha. xRia_

_Aww. It was worth a shot. xJohn_

_Sorry. xRia_

_It's alright. See you. xJohn_

_See you. xRia_

He couldn't help but feel very disappointed. He didn't know if it was because Maria couldn't hang out with him, or the fact that she doesn't want a love life yet.

He got his keys and went out the room. He was going to explore the city to clear his mind off 'things'. All he could do now was look forward to tomorrow.

--

_AN: I am SO sorry. I was so, so busy with schoolwork. I had lots of stuff to do and they were so important and I couldn't find time to write. The computer got busted, too. And exams were coming up… and I had writer's block. I know this is short, but it was the only thing that came to my mind._


	6. It Is Concluded That

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story. I don't own the characters.

**It is Concluded That…**

Mickie James and Candice Michelle scanned the café for tables with no occupants. The café was packed and it was hard to find available seats. All the tables were occupied, but there was one table where only 1 man sat, and there were three more vacant chairs. The two girls were relieved when they saw Randy Orton wave at them with a smile and invited them over to that table.

"Hey, Rands!" Mickie greeted him.

"You alone?" Candice asked.

"Hey," nodding to Mickie, "and no, Jeff's ordering." Answering Candice, and then nodding towards the counter. "And because we still got two seats, why don't you take them?"

"Thanks." Mickie said and sat on the seat opposite Randy's. "You won't sit, Candice?" she said, motioning for her friend to sit down beside her.

"I would, but we haven't ordered." She said as she gave a remindful nod. "What'll you have? I'll order." Candice inquired, volunteering to order.

"Your treat?" Mickie hopefully asked Candice.

"Ha, you wish!" said Candice, rolling her eyes. "Well?"

"Brownie and a Latte."

"All right. Me too."

Then Candice left for the counter, or for the end of a VERY long line. Honestly, it was very long, but it was the shortest of the 3 lines. Jeff Hardy spotted her and waved to her. He was only 2 people away. _Now where would all these people sit? Perhaps they ordered to go… That's got to be it. _Candice thought. But who cares about the people and where they would sit? This is just to point out that Randy and Mickie were left alone… together… for a very long time.

Randy drummed his fingers against the table. Mickie was reading text messages in her inbox. There were a lot, so a few minutes passed and they still weren't interacting. Randy was looking at Mickie intently. _She looks so cute when she's serious. _He thought. But then he waved it off, thinking he was only bored. "Hey… There's nothing you can say… nothing's gonna change what you've done to me!" He sang his entrance theme out of boredom. It was very soft, but his face was full of emotion. Anyway, Mickie heard it. She looked up and raised an eyebrow at him. "I have never, evvvver seen… I mean, heard you sing… when sober, that is."

"What?! I was bored. And there's nothing wrong in singing." He said as he shrugged his shoulders with a don't-blame-me look on his face.

He received a blink as a response. Then, Mickie asked where John was.

"Out for a ride, I guess. Saw him head to the parking lot with his keys. How 'bout Ria?"

"Left in the room. We left her to her boy-freedom."

"Eh?" Randy raised his brows.

"Don't ask." She replied flatly.

Then, they looked at the line at the same time. Sure, it got shorter. But it was still a long way to go for Jeff and Candice. They groaned inwardly because they knew they couldn't do anything. After a few minutes, they began to get restless. They stretched and squirmed and struggled and did absolutely everything to be comfortable. They just couldn't. Then, Mickie yawned. At the same time, Randy stretched. In the middle of their respective activities, they paused and looked at each other. Her mouth was open and his fists and arms were high up in the air. They burst into laughter. Not the loud annoying kind. Just a series of giggles and chuckles. That certainly broke the ice. They started to converse. The stuff they talked about was unimportant, but worth a good laugh. They talked like they were best friends… wait, they are. The conversation went deeper, and deeper, and _deeper _until they noticed that Randy's hand was on Mickie's. They stopped talking, pulled their hands away, and looked in opposite directions. Their faces were burning, and they were as red as tomatoes. I tell you, it is not normal for these people to blush. They were so embarrassed, for a reason they didn't know, and they were thinking about it that they didn't notice Jeff making his way to their table with the tray holding his and Randy's orders with Candice behind him holding her and Mickie's orders. But they did notice the tray being put on the table.

"Finally! It's here. That was one long line." Mickie said so that Jeff and Candice would not arouse suspicion.

"You bet." Jeff agreed.

"You should have ordered, Micks. That's gonna be the last time I'll stand in a line as long as that." Candice, exhausted, put the tray down and plopped to her seat, regretting that she ever volunteered.

"Hey. You're the one who asked what I was gonna get." Mickie grinned.

"Yeah. Now, I'm hungry and that brownie looks delish…" Candice stared at the brownie like it was gonna run away.

"Huhn hiuh uhn." Randy said with food in his mouth.

"Excuse me?!" Candice asked him, disgusted.

"Then dig in." He repeated, after swallowing whatever was in his mouth. The girls realized that the boys were already halfway through their meal. As they ate, a few conversations popped up, including the romantic storyline between John and Maria.

"Come to think of it, they do look together." Jeff commented.

"Especially, if they're gonna have gold around their waists. They'll look perfect together." Randy added

"Ooh. Remember the time when they had a 'sort of' kayfabe romance before." Mickie reminisced.

"Oh, the one where they had a mixed tag team match against Amy and Adam?" Candice asked.

"Yep." Mickie confirmed.

"Who could forget?" They all said in unison while smirking.

"Actually, that was the start of their close friendship, wasn't it?" Candice said.

"Uh-huh." Randy said with a nod.

"When's John coming back anyway?" Jeff asked.

"Backlash. If he only recovered in four months, he could have made Wrestlemania. But it's a good thing he had a fast recovery and did it in 5 months though. I think we couldn't stand 1 year without a Cena." Mickie said.

"Oh… so Maria's gonna be champ at Backlash, too. Right?" asked Candice.

"Not exactly… John told me they're gonna win their championships together. Surely, he's not going to challenge Chris for the championship on the same Pay-Per-View he's gonna return. Maybe he's gonna win on the next PPV, Judgment Day. Maybe… Maria's rivalry with Beth will start on Backlash. You know… Number 1 Contender's Match or something. But I'm not really sure." Randy said.

"Yeah. That makes sense." Jeff said with a nod.

"I'll ask Ria, anyway. Later." Candice decided.

"Ok. So let's go now." Mickie realized they were just sitting there and felt bad for the people who had no seats.

"Yeah. Let's give the others a chance to enjoy their food." Jeff was thinking the same thing.

So, they made their way out of the café. They headed to their rooms. Along the way, Mickie was thinking about what happened between Randy and her. As she sat on her bed, she reached a conclusion. Surprising herself, she thought to herself:

_**Oh my gawd! I have a crush on Randy!**_

--

_Hey guys… I am so sorry if you expected a JohnRia moment. I realized I was focusing too much on them that I was running out of ideas. So I made a chapter on Randy and Mickie. So Mickie finally realized she has a crush on Randy. Will it turn out to be more than a crush? ;D. The next chapter is gonna be JohnRia, I promise._

_I am also sorry for the late update. I've been doing that lately, haven't I? I just wanted to enjoy my Christmas. Not that I don't enjoy writing this fanfic. But, still, I don't want to be cooped up in my room all the time. And Christmas break is the perfect time to enjoy myself. And as soon as I go back to school, I might update late, too. But, I really will update. Just as I said, at least once a week._

_One more thing. I need more reviews… even suggestions. Please R&R._


	7. What's On My Mind

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story. Don't own the characters.

**What's On My Mind**

John came back from his drive. He had cleared his mind of _some_ things. Others stayed in his mind. They didn't bother him at the moment, fortunately. He made his way to where the elevators were, stopping now and then to take pictures with some fans. He pressed the "up" button outside the elevator, and waited for the elevator to descend. The elevator stopped on one floor and continued to descend. When the doors opened, he couldn't suppress a big smile because there, smiling back at him, was none other than Maria Kanellis.

"Woah." John couldn't help but mutter that expression. Maria looked gorgeous. Her outfit was simple: a green shirt and a denim mini skirt; her hair was let down and she was wearing flip-flops. Yeah, it's plain alright, but she looked ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS. Her beauty was natural. Any guy would have said 'woah' when they saw her.

"What?" Maria asked, leaning forward. "I didn't catch that." Then she remembered she was still in the elevator and got out. So now, she was closer to John… and waiting…

"Uh… I said…" He searched his mind for the closest word. "Hello…." He said before grinning.

"Oh, hi." She said, waving her fingers at John.

"So, where you off to?" He asked her.

"I'm going to the hotel restaurant to eat dinner." She replied. "Me too!" John said before he could stop himself.

"Really." It sounded more of a statement that a question. "I was kinda thinking you were going to your room. You were gonna use the elevators, right?" There was suspicion and puzzlement in her voice.

"Oh…" John shook himself mentally. "Oh…" _Gah… I messed up! _"Well, yeah. I was going to… but I realized I was hungry." He said with gestures that made it obvious he just thought that up. Maria decided to wave it off.

"Okayyyy..." She said before she had fits of giggles.

_Aww… she looks so cute… _John thought.

He didn't know Maria was starting to walk to the restaurant. "Aren't you coming?" She asked when he would not budge.

"No. I'm going to my room." John said. Maria stared at him. John stared at her. He mentally slapped himself on the forehead. _AGGGHHH!!!!!! _He screamed in his head.

"But I thought…" Maria mumbled, more confused than ever.

"I'm gonna leave my things in my room. I'll come back down. Wait for me there, okay?" He requested, relieved that he thought that up.

"Yeah… Sure. John, are you okay?" Maria concernedly asked him.

"Of course. I'm just… hungry." He shrugged and put on an innocent smile.

"Alright." Maria said, smiling. Then, she turned her back and finally went to the restaurant.

As John entered the elevator, he asked himself a question he asked many times before ever since his return.

_WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH ME?_

Earlier during his drive, he tried to answer that question, too. He just could not believe that he COULD like Maria more than a friend. He kept searching for the right answer. There is still no answer.

After he left his things, he immediately went down and sat beside Maria. They took their orders. Not long after, they were joined by Mickie, Candice, Randy and Jeff. If you were wondering why Jeff was there, he became Randy's close friend when John was away. He was nowhere near John, but he was cool and Randy didn't want to hang with girls who talked about clothes. Anyway, as soon as John returned, there were already 6 people in their group. John didn't mind. He just wasn't used to seeing Jeff with them. But he will… eventually.

So they kept on talking… and eating… and talking… and eating(of course they chewed and swallowed before talking) that it took longer than expected for them to finish. Halfway through their dinner, Mickie noticed that John wasn't looking as happy as the others. Apparently, Jeff noticed it, too, because he said "I think John doesn't want us here." Randy opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, but John spoke up first.

"Naw… it's okay. I do want you guys to be here! I swear. A thought just came to me." That was a lie. The thought coming to him part. But the rest was true. He didn't even know he looked unhappy. Really, he didn't mind his friends being there. They _are _his friends, after all.

Everyone silenced and everyone thought that someone should start talking. But no one did until…

"I think I know why John doesn't want us here." Candice suddenly said.

"I told you ---" John started to protest when Candice snapped her fingers and everyone knew it meant 'shut up'. She had a mischievous grin.

"BeCAUSE..." she emphasized so John would keep quiet. "He wants Ria all to himself." Candice just couldn't help but tease.

"Hey!" John & Maria said together.

Everyone at the table laughed (by everyone, I mean everyone.) They all thanked Candice for bringing back the comfort. They resumed talking about what WWE Superstars and Divas usually talked about. Except John, who secretly pondered over Candice's statement

_Because I want Ria all to myself? What? Why? No way. Nuh-uh. No, I don't. Or at least I think I don't. Wait. I don't. Do I? Gahhh!!!_

"John?" Maria's voice came clear. He looked at her then his eyes roamed around the table. Staring back at him were 5 puzzled people.

"What?" He asked.

"Do you?" She replied with a question.

"Do I what?" He asked, confused.

"Do you want to have a Watch-A-Thon?" She said with pleading eyes which were hard to resist.

"Were gonna mix our favorite DVDs and watch them all." Jeff explained.

"Yeah. That's great!" He said with real enthusiasm.

"Yes!" They all said.

"We're gonna watch some DVDs! We're gonna watch some DVDs!" Randy sang discreetly with little dance moves.

"You _really_ have to stop with that singing thing." Mickie rolled his eyes at him. She didn't really mean it.

They all laughed. They didn't have to pay because they'll pay it upon check-out from the hotel. They all left the table and went to their rooms. Everyone seemed to be happy. Even John, who still had more things to think about. Right now, he just wants to plop down on his bed and take a long deep sleep.

--

_A/N: Weee… I hope that was JohnRia enough to make you continue reading my fanfic. I know it's not really a romantic moment, but John starts to show signs of infatuation. No one noticed… Not even John himself. Lol. But I really thought it was cute. At least I did. I don't know with you, guys. I do want to know, though. So you better submit a review. :D._

_Please? 'Till next time…_


	8. Awesome Day

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story. Don't own the characters.

**Awesome Day**

_Here she comes again_

_Like good medicine_

_Every step she takes_

_My blood is flowing_

"Making her way to the ring from Chicago, Illinois… MARIA!!" Lillian Garcia's voice blasted through the speakers. Maria went down the ramp and blew kisses to the crowd. She was wearing a shirt that said "Don't touch. Hot Surface." And short shorts that showed off her awesome legs. She did her usual entrance. She waited in the ring for her opponent.

_Kreew Kreew Kreew Kreew Kreeeeeeeew_

The techno theme music of the Paparazzi Princess played.

"Introducing next from Los Angeles, California… MELINA!!" And out came the 'scream machine', Melina. She walked down the ramp and up the apron and gave the cue for her split. Her world famous split.

_Wow. I will never be able to do that without the pain. _Maria thought behind her smug face.

The referee was signaling the start of the match.

_Just like what we practiced. _Melina thought and looked at Maria and Maria understood. As the bell rang, they started to circle around the ring. Maria gave the first punch. She hit Melina at the chin but Melina quickly got a hold of her and threw her to the nearest turnbuckle. She put her knee to Maria's stomach and threw her across the ring. Maria bounced from the rope and unexpectedly (to the fans) gave Melina a clothesline. Two more clotheslines followed. At Maria's fourth attempt to a clothesline, Melina ducked and bounced back in the game with a crossbody. She covered Maria, but it only resulted into a near fall. She pulled Maria into a vertical base and started hitting her. Maria pushed her to the floor and waited for her to stand. She measured her opponent and when Melina faced her, she gave her a bulldog. It was one powerful bulldog, but Melina kicked out at 2. So the match went on, and there was a time where Melina used her best friend: the ropes. Then, Maria was against the turnbuckles. Melina was going to slam into her after giving her a DDT, but Maria quickly kicked her opponent in the stomach. Melina went in the opposite direction while Maria went to the top rope (yes. That's right. The top rope.) and measured Melina, who didn't know where she was (in J.R.'s words). When, Melina went to Maria's direction, Maria gave her one hell of a crossbody. She went for the pin. 1… 2… 3!! And the bell rang. It was over. Maria threw her fists into the air and blew kisses to the crowd. The fans were cheering hard.

Yes. It was the start of her winning streak. It was an episode of Raw: A month and a half before Judgment Day, where she will be champion, where she will start her storyline with John.

Before she could exit the ring, the annoying face of Santino Marella appeared on the Titantron.

"Ah Mar-REE-uh! I-uh knew you could-uh do it. You' rah as talented as mee-uh. Sorry I couldan be-uh there. I couldan risk crossing paths withah Codee Rhodes." At that time, he was involved in a feud with Cody Rhodes, and he was being his chicken self. "I-uh wouldah feel sorry heem. I-uh mighta lose control of my-uh-self and beat-uh him up-uh." He said. Maria rolled her eyes. She exited the ring and walked up the ramp shaking her head and looking pissed.

"Wow. He really congratulated her didn't he? He didn't just act like a pompous ass." Jerry Lawler commented sarcastically as he watches Maria disappear behind the entrance.

--

Maria was greeted by the divas in the locker room, including her 'opponent', who was smiling.

"You were great!" Mickie started. The rest of the divas started agreeing. It made her feel good.

"There's our champion." 3 male voices were heard from the door. Who else were they but Maria's 3 guy best friends?

"We watched the whole thing." Randy said. "Man you're great, champ." John said. "Heh. Gah, Melina! What happened? I thought you were good. Tsk Tsk." Jeff shook his head, receiving a slap on the arm by Melina.

"Guys. I'm not even the champion yet." Maria grinned.

"Hey. I'm still the Women's Champion. Let me live in the moment." Beth said. "You're awesome." She added.

"Aww. Thanks Beth."

Suddenly, John wrapped his arms around her waist from the back and spun her around. Maria was surprised but she was soon giggling hard. The sight was so cute that everyone was laughing.

"Don't ever do that again." Maria scolded John when he let go of her. "I was scared."

"Sorry. I couldn't help it. I was just so proud of you."

"I helped trained her! I won't get some credit?" Melina said. They all laughed.

"Yeah. Melina. Thanks a LOT!" Maria showed her gratitude and hugged Melina. "In fact, you all helped. Thanks, guys."

Then the group started to separate because Maria was tired and some of them still had matches.

All that was left now was John.

"Ma-ree-uh…" He whispered, mocking Anthony Carelli.

"Gah. Don't talk to me like that. I get all shivery and creeped out." Maria told him.

John chuckled. "Ok, ok."

They enjoyed peaceful silence. Maria rested her head on John's shoulder.

"Maria. You're in for a doozy." John informed her.

"Like I don't know that. And doozy?" She raised an eyebrow.

"What? I always liked that word." John shrugged, shaking Maria's head in the process.

"Wanna go back to the hotel?" Maria asked. "I'm pooped."

"Ewwww." John joked.

"Not that! You know what I mean!" Maria punched him on the arm.

"Okay. I'm kinda tired, too." John agreed. "Let me get my things."

"Alrighty!"

"Huh?"

No reply.

_That is one cute girl._ He thought. (Yes! He's getting closer to realizing he likes Maria.)

They rode in John's car going to the hotel. John took Maria to her room.

"Thanks for the ride, John." Maria hugged him.

"Aw, that was nothing." John said with effort. He felt this tingly feeling.

"See you tomorrow?" Maria asked after letting him go.

"Uh… sure." John nodded.

The door closed and John continued to his room.

"John!" He heard Randy shout.

"What are you doing here? Won't you go inside?" John asked. Randy was standing outside their door.

"I… uh… left my key inside." Randy scratched his head,

"Doof. Why?" John said while rolling his eyes and searched his pockets for his key.

"I was in a hurry!!" Randy whined.

When they were inside, they lay on their beds.

"This day was awesome, wasn't it?" Randy asked.

"It was awesome." John said remembering every detail.

--

_AN: I really really hope I didn't lose all my readers. I really didn't have time to type my story. I am a very busy person. Honest. So this is my latest chapter. It was the only thing that came to my mind. I might put this story on hiatus. I might. Well, I need reviews again. Thanks. ._


	9. All Paired Up

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story. Don't own the characters.

**All Paired Up**

"Hey."

Candice Michelle looked up from her laptop. She saw Jeff Hardy looking at her.

"Hi." She said, smiling.

"Watch'ya doin'?" He asked like a little kid. He was trying to make her laugh. To him, she looked a too serious… so unlike her.

Candice giggled before replying. "We-ell… I'm watchin' videos on youtube, and downloadin' songs." She said with her own kid voice.

"Oh. I see." Jeff nodded. Then, he widened his eyes leaned forward so his nose almost touched the computer screen.

"Jeff!" Candice slapped his shoulder and pushed him away.

"Sorry!"

"You're bored." Candice flatly told him.

"I know." He replied.

"Yeah."

"You're supposed to say 'I know you know'!" Jeff complained while pouting.

"No Jeff. I'm not." Candice said while rolling her eyes and smirking.

"You know, Candy, I don't know why but when I'm with either you, Ria, Mickie, Rands or John… not to mention Matt… I always feel like a little kid. I feel like playing." Jeff was serious.

"Oh. Maybe because you're close to us. People always do crazy things with people they are close to." Candice said.

A nod came from Jeff. Then he spoke up.

"C'mon. I'll treat you to pizza. Boy, I love pizza. But don't tell anybody, they might get jealous."

"You don't want them to know because you only have enough money in your wallet for the both of us." Candice said suspiciously.

"No! I have enough. More, maybe." He retorted. "Oh ok! Yes. I'm just too lazy to plop my card in an ATM." He finally gave up.

"Wait. I'll just keep my stuff. Don't leave me. I love pizza, too." Candice said. She was hurrying. She DOES love pizza.

With all her 'panic' she tripped over something, and so she shut her eyes and prepared for her fall.

When she thought she came to a stop, _This does __not__ feel like a floor! _She said to herself. She opened her eyes slowly. What she saw was part of a black shirt with a strand of bright orange hair.

"Are you alright? It's okay. I caught y-----" He didn't finish his sentence. He couldn't. He was looking down at a beautiful woman in his arms. She was looking right back at him.

After it seemed like ages, Candice stood up straight and got her bag.

"Pizza?" She asked.

"Sure." Jeff said. Everything was normal again. _I hope. _Jeff thought._ Or do I? _Jeff thought again, sinisterly.

"Wonder where the others are…." He heard Candice say.

--

"Mmmm. Ice cream tastes oh-so-good." Maria savored her 'oh-so-good' ice cream.

"Glad you like ice cream. I thought this would not be a good surprise." John said, smiling.

"How would this be a bad surprise? This place is great. Ice cream parlor. Thanks."

"You're welcome."

"Okay. So back to business." Maria said after taking a sip of water.

"Hmmm. Okay. Vince said we should go out during our storyline so it would seem more real. That's why I thought of this surprise thing. So we would know what kind of place we would go to." John said.

"This is a good idea. But I don't think it's great if we go out before our storyline. Remember, we would still cross paths." Maria said rolling her eyes and waving her hands at the 'cross paths' part.

"Eh." John breathed out.

"It's okay, at least we would get to know each other. Like we don't know each other. Yeah right." Maria said, then grinned.

A waiter came up to them at that time. He caught their attention. He had smile on his face.

"Mister, miss, our blue light is on. That means each table gets one free cup of ice cream. Only one cup. This blue light thing is only for one month so you better make the most of it." He said, looking back and forth from the table to the light.

The waiter was surprised because only Maria was at the table. The moment John heard 'one free cup of ice cream', he hurried to the table. He got the vanilla ice cream and went back to their table. "I got vanilla." He told Maria

"That's fine." She nodded.

They both reached for a table napkin. Maria got to it first, but John's hand went on top of hers. They looked at each other for more or less 3 seconds. They looked at each other in the eyes... they felt warm and comfortable. At the same time, they were embarrassed and quickly brought their hands back. Their faces were red.

"Wow. That was like in a movie. We should do that when they'll tape our dates." John said, smiling, as to ease the tension.

"Uh. Yeah… That's a great idea! And we'll do the cute thing too. You know, be embarrassed and stuff like that." Maria said, back to her comfortable state.

"Yeah." John nodded, satisfied. "Hey look, I got to go. I got a text from management, see. They're asking for me. Do you want me to take you somewhere?" He said as he showed her the text message.

"Oh. Geez. Why don't you drop me off at the mall? I want to shop." Maria suggested.

"Ok. Well, come now."

"Say… I didn't see anyone in our group today." John said.

--

"Miiiiickieeeeee…"

Mickie James heard someone say. She turned around to look for the caller but instead of finding him or her, she was startled to hear someone blowing into her ear. She was sprinting in place, her arms were flailing and her eyes squinted and she was screaming.

"RANDY!!! What the hell is wrong with you, you effing ass!!!" Mickie slapped him like a gazillion times on his upper body. "I am going to kill you!!!"

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Stop---! Ow! Micks! Stop it!" Randy was pleading but at the same time chuckling.

"What was that for?! You almost scared me to death!" Mickie was still slapping him, but not that hard.

"I just wanted to see your reaction, and it was worth it. Mwahahahaha." Randy did an evil pose.

Mickie crossed her arms. "Good thing you didn't have a camera." Then she stuck her tongue out.

"So that's what you think." Randy was good at acting. Mickie was on the verge of crying.

"Randy! I beg you, do not post that on the internet. That reaction was stupid. It's so not like me. Ah."

"Micks. I was kidding." He closed in for a hug.

_He feels so warm. And he smells so good._

"I'm alright now. But don't do that again. I'm never going to speak to you if you do that again." Mickie threatened.

Randy nodded. He liked hugging Mickie. It gave him an odd but good feeling.

"Y'know Micks, if we weren't best friends, I would be turned on."

At that, Mickie distanced from him. "Uh?"

"That was IF we weren't best friends."

_Yeah… If only we were more than best friends. _Mickie said in her head.

"Don't get you're hopes up." Mickie said anyway. "I don't like you anyway. No one would."

"Hey…" Randy sat down and looked sad.

"Randy… I was kidding. C'mon." Mickie knelt down and tried to look at him. "Fine." She sat down beside him and acted sad, too. Randy looked at her.

Before any of them realized it, Randy kissed Mickie on the cheek. Both of them gasped.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU DID THAT!" Mickie shouted.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE I DID THAT!" Randy shouted.

Then, no sound was heard. After a few seconds, giggles and chuckles filled the air. The two people were rolling on the floor laughing hard and tears were starting to come out.

"We are soooo crazy!" Mickie managed to say between giggles.

"Yes. We are." Randy agreed.

"I know."

"I know you know."

"I know you know I know."

"Where did you learn that?" Mickie asked, puzzled because that joke was from her childhood.

"Jeff Hardy." Randy flatly said, though he was smiling.

"Why am I not surprised?" Mickie grinned.

--

_AN: This is what I have thought of. Yes. I decided that my story be RandyxMickie, JeffxCandice and of course JohnxMaria. It was cute. For me. It was not that romantic… Still. I'm proud of it. Reviews please._


	10. Backlash

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story. Don't own the characters.

**Backlash**

_Ding! Ding! Ding!_

"The following is the WWE Divas Battle Royale!" Lilian Garcia spoke through her microphone and she was in the middle of the ring. "The winner will receive a future Women's Championship Match." Then, she explained how the match works. "Now, ladies and gentlemen, let us all welcome the WWE Women's Champion, Beth Phoenix!!" Whether applause or boos were heard, it was unclear.

It was Backlash. The pay-per-view before Maria wins her Championship.

As soon as Beth took her place, the first contestant walked up the ramp. It was Candice Michelle; the one Beth took the title from. She was followed by Melina, then Mickie. Maria was the fourth to enter the ring. After her came the other divas.

The match was a real doozy. Divas flew out of the ring simultaneously, all hairs were ruffled, heads banged against turnbuckles. It looked fun, especially for Jerry "The King" Lawler, who said his eyes are very happy. Soon, only Maria, Mickie, Candice, Melina and Jillian were left in the ring.

"Oh my, J.R.! Only the Raw Divas are left in the ring!"

Jillian and Melina teamed up and beat up Mickie, who was in the middle, first, and then they individually took on the remaining 2 divas. Jillian was taking on Maria. She threw Maria over the top rope, and she turned around to fight Mickie. She didn't know Maria hung on and went back inside the ring. Jillian and Mickie fought so hard with each other. Mickie attempted to throw Jillian off the ring. Her plan was to give Jillian a clothesline (one very powerful one) over the top rope. She will have to go over the top rope, too, but she's gonna hang on to the ropes just in time. Mickie took a deep breath and ran into Jillian, who was holding the top rope for support.

"Bah gawd, King! Mickie James is gonna give Jillian Hall one hellava clothesline!!"

"I hope she knows what she's doing…" Jerry remarked.

Mickie had one shot at this. She went over the top rope, with Jillian just milliseconds before her. She held out her left arm so she can hold the rope. Unfortunately, she didn't reach it in time. She knew she was going to fall. She put her arms in front of her and as she crashed to the ground, she bent her arms, to avoid the injuries the impact could cause her. Mickie stayed on her spot for a few more seconds. Inwardly, she smiled. _Now that's what I call falling gracefully. _She told herself.

"She looked like she was about to grab for the top rope, J.R.!" She heard Jerry Lawler say.

"Thank God she wasn't injured!" Jim Ross said.

Meanwhile, Maria and Candice were teaming up to beat Melina. When Melina fell to the floor, Maria nodded at Candice and Candice responded with a nod of her own. They both got ready to give a baseball slide to Melina. At exactly the same time, they executed the move. It was beautiful. It was like it was synchronized swimming. Melina slid out of the ring, and of course, people applauded.

Maria and Candice were left in the ring. They looked at each other hard and long. Maria took out her hand so Candice can shake it, and she did. After that, it was a brawl. Punches were thrown left and right, kicks were given, and each diva was thrown across the ring at least once. Both of them were feeling tired already. The cue to end the match didn't come yet. After a few clotheslines from Maria to Candice, the cue was given. She gave one final bulldog to Candice. Maria took her and threw her out of the ring.

_Ding! Ding! Ding!_

"Here's you're your winner, and the Number 1 Contender for the WWE Women's Championship, MARIA!!"

The Battle Royale was over. Maria was running around the ring in circles, celebrating her victory. She was thanking the fans by blowing kisses to them.

"J.R.! Maria won! Maria won, oh my gosh!" the King was amazed.

"You bet, King! All her hard work has paid off."

"Well, not yet J.R., she still needs to go through Beth Phoenix. And we all know Beth Phoenix is one powerful lady. The Glamazon, she is."

"You're right about that King, but still, look at that smile on her face."

"Look at her J.R.! She's one of my favorites."

"Hold on, there." Beth Phoenix grabbed Lilian's microphone. "You mean to tell me that I'm going to fight this stick?" She was smirking. "I don't know what just happened. Maria won! Hah!"

Maria's smile was wiped off her face. She went to the nearest crewman and asked for a microphone.

"Oh yeah, Beth? I know you have beaten me a lot of times already, but I am ready to take you on again. This time, I'm gonna win!"

Beth cackled. "Yeah. That's hilarious." She said that with a straight face.

"Don't underestimate me Beth. I won this Battle Royale. I got 2 words for ya. Bring It!"

"I don't think so, Miss Maria." William Regal appeared on the Titantron. "There will be no 'bringing on' tonight. You've had enough. We don't want to spoil anything for the fans either, now, do we?" He said with his accent. Then he disappeared from the screen, and Maria was shown in the middle of the ring.

Beth was already walking up the ramp. She was showing off her belt to Maria.

"That going to be on me! You'll see!" Maria shouted.

Her theme played again. She waved at he audience one last time, in a friendly fashion, and finally went up the ramp to the locker room area.

"Maria! You were soooo good up there!" Beth met her in the locker room. She was shaking her hand.

"I'm a stick, huh?" Maria asked her, smiling.

"Hey! It was in the script." Beth defended herself.

"Just kidding."

"Ree, you gave me one good fight." Candice added. She was sitting on the sofa. You can tell she was exhausted.

"Move over, I'm tired, too." Maria said, settling next to Candice with a smile on her face.

"Ooooh. Hey champ!" Mickie called from the door of the shower room.

"Guys, thanks for all the support." Maria said gratefully.

Ashley stood at the door. "Hey Maria. I know we aren't really that close, but I wanna congratulate you. You were awesome out there."

"Aw… Thanks." Maria said.

"Hey, I gotta go." Ashley excused herself.

"Oh, that's too bad. Okay. Good bye. Take care."

"Bye everyone!"

"Bye Ash!" They all replied.

Maria heard her cellphone ring. From the ring tone, she was certain it was a message from John.

_Hey. You were awesome. Couldn't go there. I wouldn't want to miss my grand entrance. Besides, I still have to get ready. I have to look gorgeous for all the ladies. j/k._

She smiled at his message. She replied to his message.

_Yeah. w/e. Thanks. Good Luck. TC._

On the other side of the conversation, John was smiling from ear to ear. Randy was reading the message.

"Ooh, John… she said TC! She cares about you!" Randy teased him.

"Of course, she cares! She's my friend, duh. Doesn't Mickie say that to you, too? And who gave you permission to read my messages?" John looked at him.

"Sorry. It's just that you were grinning strangely and I got curious."

John opened his mouth to say something, but a crewman popped in.

"John, you're almost up." He said.

"See yah, Rands."

"King! Chris Jericho looks like he's about to execute Walls of Jericho on Randy." He said to his fellow commentator.

"I know, J.R., I know! It's locked; J.R. the submission move is locked. My gawd is Randy going to tap out?" Jerry Lawler was looking back and forth to the computer then to the ring.

"There's nowhere to go. They're in the middle of the ring." J.R. said.

Randy was in pain. His back was hurting. He tapped out, and the bell rung. Chris Jericho celebrated in the ring. He rolled out of the ring and up the ramp, avoiding the audience and ignoring them. It was what he was told to do. He had a loathing face. He was taped until he entered backstage. Then the lights and Titantron went off. When it turned back on, Randy was lying on the floor unconscious.

"What's going on?" Both the commentators asked at the same time.

The first few parts of "My Time is Now" played. The lyrics haven't even started yet, but people were up on there feet, howling and clapping, and they were all crazy.

"Bah gawd! That's John Cena! John Cena is back!"

"My GOSH! This is unbelievable!" King said, trying his best to act surprised.

"This is gonna be good."

"John Cena!"

His music finally stopped and he was at the ramp, with a serious face. He looked right at Jericho, who is in the ring, facing him.

"I want… my championship back." He said slowly.

Most of the fans cheered.

Jericho made a face that said "Sorry, buddy, but it's mine now."

"Ladies and Gentlemen! THE CHAMP IS HERE!!" John Cena shouted.

"Hold on, hold on." Chris now had a microphone, too. "John, you are no longer champ. I am the WWE Champion now. I hope that sunk into you, or are you like Orton, who couldn't understand simple senten---"

"Don't you EVER compare me to Randy Orton." One could see the fury in John's face. "I want my belt back. It was taken away from me, and I want it back now."

"What, Cena? If you want it back, you're gonna have to fight me. Don't complain like a little baby." Chris Jericho said.

John was already making his way to the ring. He entered it Jericho punched him in the chest. John looked at him and backed away. 

"I don't want to play dirty. You very well know that I didn't lose my title. It was taken away from me. I'm going to win it fair and square." He took his hand out.

Chris Jericho shook it. John turned around to exit, but he turned around again and punched Chris on the chest. "That was for the punch you gave me a while ago. I told you. Fair and Square." Then Chris exited the ring and went up the ramp.

John was left in the ring smirking. His music played and he exited the ring himself. He gave high fives to the fans at ringside and shook J.R. and Jerry's hands, and soon, he went up the ramp.

_AN: Heyyyy. Hope you all liked it. I'm going to make this clear. They PPV they're going to win their championships on is at Judgment Day. John returns at Backlash, Maria becomes N1C at Backlash. I made a mistake in Chapter 8, sorry, but I already changed it. Reviews please._

_P.S. If my matches are bad, I'm sorry. I'm not really good at writing fight scenes. Sorry. But that was my best._


	11. Giving In

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story. Don't own the characters.

_AN: Thanks to MariaCenaFan for giving me an idea. ._

**Giving In**

"Guys!"

Jeff looked around to see where it came from. Mickie James was far from them waving at them.

"Randy. Mickie's calling us." He told Randy, who was beside him at that time. Wondering why Mickie called, they made their way over to her.

"What's up, Micks?" Randy asked

"Remember when we said we'd have a Watch-a-thon? Well, is it okay if it would be tonight? You know, after dinner." Mickie asked. Then she stopped. "You _did_ bring DVDs, didn't you?"

"Mickie..." Jeff said after he gasped. "How could you say that? We never leave home without DVDs." Mickie laughed because of Jeff's reaction. Randy chuckled. Jeff just looked at them, confused.

"What are you guys laughing about? Is it something cool? I like cool." They didn't even see who spoke, but they already knew. It was of course, Carlos Colon, better known as Carlito. Everyone called him Carlito. They all said it sounded cooler. He was looking at Mickie, of course. Everyone knew Carlito liked Mickie.

"Carlito, what do you want?" Randy asked, trying his very, very best not to sound rude.

"Nothing." Carlito sensed annoyance in Randy's voice though. "No. Wait. Actually, I came over to ask Mickie something. May I talk to you?" He asked Mickie.

"Okay. But could you say it now? I'm really in a hurry." Mickie told him nicely. It was the truth. She still had to tell John, Maria and Candice about the watch-a-thon.

"Err... Are you free tonight? 'Cause if you're not... uh... I want to ask you out, you know." Carlito embarrassingly said, looking down at the floor.

"Carlito, sorry. Mickie has plans tonight." Randy answered the question before Mickie could. Carlito looked at Mickie, with a disappointed look on his face.

"Yeah, Carly." She nodded. Then, silence came. "But, if you want, we can go out next week. Is that okay?" Mickie couldn't stand the hurt look on Carlito's face. _It's just one date anyway, what could happen? _She thought.

She snapped out of her thoughts and saw Carlito standing there, grinning like crazy. "Yeah? That would be so cool. Of course it's okay. I'll call you. Or you call me. Uh... see yah." And he turned around and walked away.

"Gosh, I think he skipped, Micks." Mickie heard Jeff say while she was watching Carlito.

"Mickie, are you insane? You didn't tell me you liked him." Randy was giving everything he has so he wouldn't show that he is pissed.

_What? She can't go out with him! She can't! They can never be together. Never. _He was boiling. He could not believe himself. _Randy, it's okay. Why should you care? You don't have commitments to Mickie. You're her best friend. You should be happy for her. _He told himself.Suddenly, Randy felt a stinging feeling on his cheek.

"Dude, you slapped yourself." Jeff interrupted Randy's thoughts.

Randy was about to say something when he heard a noise and something hit his foot. He looked down and what he saw was a very strange sight. Mickie James was on the floor laughing her heart out and time to time she fell over and that time, she fell on Randy's foot.

"You... haha... you... hahaha... slapped yourself! Hahahaha." Mickie managed to say, sometimes, gasping for breath.

"Wow. That's hilarious, Mickie, because it didn't hurt one bit. Yeah. Haha." Randy said sarcastically, including a fake laugh.

"Randy, sheesh, sorry." Mickie said while Jeff pulled her to a standing position. "Okay, I'm sorry I laughed at you. It was so funny, because I was like talking to you and you suddenly slapped yourself. I'm sorry." It was obvious she was keeping herself from laughing hard again.

"Oh, okay. I forgive you this time. You're hard to stay angry at." Randy forgave her with a warm smile.

"Oh, there's Maria and Candice now. I gotta tell them. You don't mind telling John, do you?" Mickie asked, not looking at them, but keeping her eyes on her two friends, so they won't get lost.

"No." The boys replied.

Mickie hurriedly walked away.

"Ria! Candy!" Mickie called from he end of the hall.

Both her friends turned around and when Mickie came to their location, two friendly smiles greeted her.

"I want to remind you of the watch-a-thon we're supposed to have. I know you two don't have plans. I told Randy and Jeff we're having it after dinner." Mickie told them while the three of them were walking.

"Cool. I haven't forgotten about that." Maria told Mickie.

"Don't forget your DVDs." Mickie reminded them.

"Mickie..." Candice gasped. "We never leave home without DVDs."

"Oh my gosh. That was exactly what Jeff said when I reminded them to bring DVDs. Candice, you're like Jeff!" Mickie said, amazed.

"Wow. That's scary." Candice said.

Maria giggled. She's feeling really happy nowadays. Flashbacks played in her mind. Her Battle Royale win kept repeating in her head.

"Maria." She heard Candice say as she felt Mickie's hand rest lightly on her shoulder.

"It's okay. I'm cool." She assured her friends.

"Speaking of cool, I got myself a date with Carlito." Mickie said. Maria and Candice just stared at her.

"Let me guess. It's a pity date." Maria said, all serious.

"Well, yeah. But I don't know, maybe it would work out. Besides, it's just one date. What could happen?" She grinned at her friends unsurely and shrugging her shoulders.

"I'm not sure Mickie. He might think you like him, too." Candice said.

Mickie didn't reply. _I hope not. Maybe, he'll change his mind about me._

"Hey. Let's not think about it. We've got a good night ahead of us." Maria said.

"Yeah." Her friends agreed.

And so, they continued on doing the stuff that they needed to do before they leave the arena.

"Johnny!" Randy Orton called from the other side of a door. Jeff was knocking on the door. He was going to knock one more time when the door swung open and he saw John.

"Do _not _call me Johnny. Ever." John Cena said.

"Whatever. Mickie told me we're going to have the watch-a-thon tonight, after dinner." Randy informed him.

"Oh. Sure." John said, about to close the door.

"You're not gonna let me us in?" Randy asked.

"Uh, duh. I forgot." John chuckled at himself. He motioned for them to enter.

"You're acting strangely." Randy said, observing John's weird behaviour as he sat down.

"At least he's not slapping himself." Jeff started, ready to laugh.

"Hey! Don't start." Randy warned him.

"What was that all about?" John asked.

"Nothing." They both said. Randy was too embarrassed while Jeff felt sorry for him.

"Hm." John said while shrugging.

"Oh. We need to get ready. I want it to eat dinner early. Can't wait to start the movie watching." Randy said.

_More like can't wait to see Mickie. _He heard himself say. It creeped him out. It was like his conscience was talking to him. _No! _He fought it. _Yeah right. You like her. Why else would you be irritated at the thought of her and Carlito going out? _He couldn't believe it. The thought sunk deeper and deeper that he couldn't deny it any longer.

_**I LIKE MICKIE JAMES. OH NO. I LIKE MICKIE JAMES!! **__I'm gonna have to keep this to myself._

"Wait for it... he's gonna slap- -" He heard Jeff say.

"I'm not, Jeff. Quit it." Randy stopped him just in time.

"Ok." Jeff said.

"See yah guys later at the hotel. Gotta get ready." Randy called as he exited the room. He heard John say "If I knew you were going to leave once I let you in, I wouldn't have let you enter in the first place!" And he heard Jeff laughing. He couldn't help but chuckle himself.

"Alrighty. Which one are we going to watch first?" Jeff asked. They were about to start their movie watching. They were already settled in John's hotel room, which had the biggest space in their opinion. It was really because it was neater. They were already seated. Maria and John were together on one couch; Candice and Jeff were sitting cross-legged on the floor, and Randy and Mickie were on the other couch. There was some kind of tension between Randy and Mickie but it was broken when Mickie said, "I know someone who slaps himself." Then she started another laughing fit. "I do, too." Jeff laughed along with her and gave her a high five.

"Yeah! That's right laugh all you want! I won't care one bit!" Randy said, scowling. The laughter became louder. John, Candice and Maria were just staring, time to time laughing, not because they're trying to act like they know what Mickie is talking about, but because of the way Mickie and Jeff laugh.

"Why? What happened?" John asked.

"I was talking to Randy a while ago, and it seemed as if he wasn't paying attention. Then... then..." She couldn't control herself, and started to laugh again.

"He slapped himself! He even acted surprised like he didn't do it." Then he joined Mickie again in the laughing.

"Okay, which movie do we watch first?" Randy asked, trying to change the subject.

But, everyone was laughing already. "I don't get it. There's nothing funny about slapping yourself.

"It's not the slapping we're laughing about. We're laughing about you not noticing that you slapped yourself. That's hilarious." John said.

"No, it's not. I don't get it." Randy shook his head.

"Okay, which movie?" Mickie said as if nothing happened.

"Wait. Why do we have seven DVDs? There are only 6 of us." Candice was confused.

"That's 'cause John had to bring two tapes. He just HAD to bring The Marine." Maria told her while rolling her eyes.

"But we've watched that too many times already!!" Jeff whined.

"Yeah. We have!" They heard John say. Then all turned to look at him, giving him cold, hard glares. He made an action with his hands and shoulders which said "What?"

"Oooh. How about Alvin and the Chipmunks?" Maria said. "I know it's animated, but it's cute anyway."

"Good one. Jeff, play it." Candice motioned him.

They enjoyed the whole movie; then, they watched a chick flick. It came to the kissing scene and John leaned forward to whisper something to Maria.

"Soon, we're going to be doing that." He quietly said, hiding a grin.

"No big deal. We have done that before." She said, winking.



"Good point."

They watched some action films, including Casino Royale, and more films. They watched horror movies, too, like The Ring (Japanese Version). As scary parts went by, Candice clung to Jeff. Somehow, he made her feel safe. He wrapped his arm around her, giving her a nice secure hug. When the surprising parts came, Maria gets jumpy and moves closer to John and leans on him. Mickie and Randy had no problems. They were both really brave people. Even so, they leaned on each other. They loved each other's company. They weren't the kind of people who hid from the person they liked. They're the kind of people who spend their time with the person they liked every chance they get. One of those chances was the movie watching.

When all the movies were done, they all stood up to stretch. Randy used the bathroom.

"Wow. I can't believe you guys made this big of a mess. I demand that someone help me clean this up." John said in a nagging voice. He was wagging his forefinger.

"But John..." They all groaned.

"No. Someone should." John insisted.

"Lets draw straws." Randy called from the bathroom. "Shortest straw gets to stay and clean with John."

John got straws from the drawer and cut them into 5 pieces with different lengths. He did the usual stuff. The remaining 5 drew their straws. The person who got the shortest was... Maria. She groaned.

"A deal's a deal." John said.

"See yah, wouldn't wanna be yah. Just kidding. Have fun!" Mickie said. She was the last person to exit the door.

Maria grinned at John. She started picking up pieces of popcorn on the floor. From John's view, she couldn't be seen. When she reappeared, she looked at him. "Do you have any plans to help out?" She asked him, rolling her eyes.

"No, not really." John replied.

"John!" Maria glared at him.

"Just kidding." John said, chuckling. He started to clean up, too. When they finished, John turned off the lights. He heard a yelp coming from Maria and he turned the lights on again.

"John Cena! I am going to kill you!" John ran and tried to hide himself. Of course, Maria chased him, seeking revenge. Maria finally caught up to him on the couch and tickled him hard.

"Okay, stop it." John said. It was easy for him to stop Maria, but he let her have revenge, anyway. "I'm sorry."

Maria stopped tickling and sat down. John sat down beside her.

"I'm excited for our storyline, you know." Maria told him.

"I knew it! You want to kiss me, don't you? Don't you?" John teased her.

"Uh. Yeah! Yeah, I do." Maria said while rolling her eyes.

"Seriously?" John asked. He was looking at her now.

"No."

"Yeah. I knew that. I was kidding when I said 'seriously'..." John said.

"Sure you were." Maria said with sarcasm. She was grinning. "Anyway, I think we should talk about how we should..." And so they conversed on how they should do things concerning their storyline. They didn't realize it was already 2AM.

"Oooh. How about if they ask us to kiss?" Maria asked.

John was startled by the question. "You mean like the one we had in 2006?"

"Uh-huh." Maria said quietly, remembering that day. February 6, 2006. She could still remember those soft lips pressed against hers. She could still remember the thrill she felt.

"Kiss. I guess we should..." John looked in her eyes. He's not sure if he should do it or not. Something inside him wants to.



"Yes?" Maria leaned forward, inching closer and closer. She was looking deep in his eyes, too. She was mesmerized by him and he was mesmerized by her.

They closed in and their lips met. They closed their eyes. Her arms rested upon his shoulders while his arms were wrapped around her waist. It started as a soft kiss, which grew deeper every second. As the kiss grew deeper, they felt their surroundings disappear. To them the clock was inaudible, as the second hand ticked... and ticked... and ticked.

_AN: Heyyy. Hoped you guys liked that one. Stayed up all night to finish that. . Once again, thanks to MariaCenaFan for your suggestion. To all readers, please be kind and leave some reviews._


	12. Just Like Before

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story. Don't own the characters.

**Just Like Before**

_They closed in and their lips met. They closed their eyes. Her arms rested upon his shoulders while his arms were wrapped around her waist. It started as a soft kiss, which grew deeper every second. As the kiss grew deeper, they felt their surroundings disappear. To them the clock was inaudible, as the second hand ticked... and ticked... and ticked._

3 seconds passed... 5 seconds passed... 10 seconds passed... They were still into that passionate kiss. At last they stopped for oxygen. They got ready to continue it but Maria got to her senses. She stood up and started to collect her things.

"I'm sorry." She told John quietly, not even looking at him.

"I'm sorry, too." John was looking at her. He was just sitting down. Maria made her way to the door.

"Maria, wait. Forgive me." John called to her. This time, he tried to follow her.

"Good night, John." Maria bid her farewell without even turning back.

John was left staring at his door.

_What have I done? I shouldn't have done that. My gosh, this could change everything. _

Maria thought as she ran to her hotel room.

_I told myself to concentrate on my work. Great job. I had a wonderful friendship with John! What would happen to that? What about my storyline? I wouldn't feel comfortable if we had to do romantic stuff._

Maria entered her room and lied down on her bed. She covered her face with her pillow.

"Agggh!!" She screamed through her pillow. She closed her eyes and soon, she fell asleep.

"I blew it. I lost my best friend. How are going to work well?" John asked himself. He lay on his bed, looking at the ceiling. He blinked. _Am I falling for Maria?_ John asked himself. He looked backed at the times after he returned from his injury. He remembered when he would daydream about her, how he was stupid around her, and the time when Maria had a little crush on Jeff Hardy (he smiled a bit there) he was pissed. Was he really falling for Maria? A smile formed on his face.

"Maria Kanellis, you watch out. I'm in love with you and I'll do everything I can to make you happy." He said as though Maria was there. "But, first I should make up with you."

_Yeah. That's what I'll do._

And he fell asleep.

Maria bolted up. She woke up from a nightmare. Glancing at the clock, she realized she woke up just on time. Instantly, memories of last night played in her head. They played when she looked at herself in the mirror. They played when she was in the shower. They played when she was dressing up.

She heard someone knock on the door. "Who is it?" She asked.

"It's Mickie. Are you ready for breakfast?" The muffled voice of Mickie was heard.

"Yeah, sure." She said as she opened the door. "Come in. I'll just fix my hair."

Mickie sat down on Maria's bed. "So, how was the cleaning?" She asked Maria. She was grinning.

"The cleaning?" Maria stiffened up. "Oh... It was... great. Everything was clean." Her voice was shaky and she looked jumpy.

Mickie noticed this and concernedly asked her friend "Maria, are you okay?"

"Of course, I am. Why wouldn't I be?" Maria said. She was now smiling.

Mickie shrugged. "C'mon, I'm hungry."

"C'mon." Maria repeated.

They passed by Candice's room, but she wasn't there. They supposed she was already in the dining room. Sure enough, she was there, along with Randy, Jeff and John. Candice saw them and waved to them. Maria locked eyes with John. He smiled at her, but she didn't respond. Mickie pulled her to the table. They took the two remaining seats. Maria was right across John. When they were eating, Maria looked at nothing but her plate. Her friends noticed this.

"Maria, are you okay?" Candice asked the same question Mickie asked Maria earlier.

"Of course I am. I just slept late." Maria said.

"You let her do all the work, didn't you, John?" Randy joked. Jeff snickered while giving Randy a high five.

"No way. I helped." John said. At the sound of John's voice, Maria looked up. She saw him smiling at her. It made her smile, too. She looked down on her plate and continued eating her food. When they were done, John went up to Maria and tapped her shoulder. She looked at him.

"Can we talk?" He asked her quietly. Maria just nodded and followed him.

"About last night..." John started. "I'm sorry. I just got carried away. I... uh... remembered our kiss last February 2006. I'm sorry about that. Are we okay?"

"You were thinking of our kiss before? Me too!" Maria said, grinning at him. Somehow, she felt comfortable with him again. "Sure we're okay."

_Yes!!_

"Cool." John said. He was relieved that they are friends again. Of course, he wanted to be more than friends, but still, friendship is a thing he loves. They _were_ best friends. No one wants to lose a best friend.

"Yeah." Maria agreed and gave him a hug, friendly hug. John hugged back. Right now, being friends with Maria was on his mind. _It seems I'm gonna make my move later than I planned. _He thought. But he didn't care.

"Hey, I got to go for now. See yah later." Maria said as she walked away, waving at him.

"See yah." John waved back, smiling.

Candice gasped as someone from behind poked her side.

"Gosh! Jeff! You startled me." She said, relieved it was just Jeff.

"I meant to do that." Jeff nodded. He was wearing a mischievous smile, receiving a playful slap on the arm.

"Yeah. Hahaha." Candice rolled her eyes. "Jeff, can I ask you a favor?"

"Sure. What?" Jeff asked, ready to help his friend.

"My trainer's gone on a vacation... Could you train me for the meantime?"

"Candice, I don't usually train people. I mean, I do high flying stuff." Jeff was hesitant.

"Pleeeaaaaase? Besides, I wanna learn how to you stuff Jeff. 'cept for the Swanton Bomb. I don't wanna do that. Besides, you know almost every move there is." Candice pleaded, puppy eyes and all.

"Geez, thanks. Well, fine. How could I turn down someone like you?" Jeff smiled as he nodded.

"Thank you so much. It's just for two weeks anyway." Candice continued.

"Sure." He said Candice gave him a tight hug.

Candice broke the hug. She turned around and saw Mickie going another way.

"Ooooo there's Mickie. Gotta go! Bye Jeff!" And with that, he gave Jeff a soft peck on the cheek. Jeff stood there staring at nothing.

It all came back to him. He remembered the time in his life when he was crushing on Candice Michelle. He remembered what made him attracted to her: her friendliness, her beauty, her charm, everything about her. What he felt for her faded little by little each day because he valued their friendship. She had been one of the people who helped him overcome his problems. Since then, he loved her as a friend.

But, it all came back. Jeff Hardy found himself in a situation he had been in before.

Jeff Hardy found himself crushing on Candice Michelle.

_AN: I know, short. I hope you enjoy it anyway. Reviews please._


	13. Mickie's Night

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story. Don't own the characters.

**Mickie's Night**

"So, what do you want to wear Mickie?" Melina asked her friend. They were at the entrance of the mall, about to start what they loved doing most, shopping.

"Nothing too fancy. It's just a friendly date, that's all." Mickie said, talking about her date with Carlito.

"So that leaves a dress out." Maria commented. "Skirt or Jeans?"

"What do you guys think?" Mickie looked around at her companions.

"Definitely skirt." Candice said...

"You don't want shorts?" Ashley asked.

"Never been a fan of them." Mickie shook her head. "Alrighty, I'll go with skirt. It is a date, after all."

"And your top?" Melina reminded her.

"We'll see."

So went from store to store searching for the right outfit for Mickie while checking stuff out for themselves. They had fun and no feet hurt.

"This definitely suits you Mickie." Maria said holding up a dark brown skirt with golden stitches. "Doesn't it?"

"Oh yeah." One of them agreed.

"And you know what? It goes great with this." Candice pulled out a white blouse with a really cool design.

"Ooh. I'll try them on." Mickie excitedly said, grabbing the apparel and heading to the fitting room.

The others waited for her, each one of them grinning. When she came out, she was smiling and she twirled around.

"Oh Mickie, it's perfect. It's not too fancy but it's not too boring either. You look beautiful." Melina said.

"Absolutely gorgeous. I so envy you right now." Candice grinned.

"You'll have heads turning your way, Micks. Carly better watch out." Ashley said which made the girls giggle.

"Aw, c'mon. But, I really do like it. I'm gonna buy it now." Mickie said as she made her way back into the fitting room to change. They were lining up at the counter when Candice exclaimed.

"You have to be kidding me!" She was on the verge of laughter.

"What?!" Her friends asked simultaneously.

"The guys are here." She told them, simply put.

"No way." Mickie looked at where Candice was looking. She was clutching her shopping bag and rushed out to see who were there. Sure enough the guys were there. It made her laugh because they were always stopping for fans who want to take pictures and they were acting so cool and everything.

"Well, c'mon." Ashley motioned them to go over to where John, Randy, Jeff, Chris and Carlito were.

"Haha. Look at them. They're like one giant wall. They're all so buff and all." Maria laughed, shaking her head. For a moment they all laughed their heads off.

They were still at a distance when the guys noticed them. "Look at them. They're like on a runway or something." Chris said. They had their share of laughs.

"This is unexpected." John told the Divas as soon as they came close.



"We're girls. It's normal for us to go to shopping malls. As for you guys..." Mickie retorted.

"Hey Mickie." Carlito greeted her shyly. "Hi girls." Looking at everyone else. Unknown to everyone, Randy mimicked him mentally, annoyed.

"Hey Carlito." They all said.

"Fancy meeting you here." Maria said, greeting everyone but looking only at John, who was looking right back at her.

"Mmmmhmmm." Jeff and John nodded slowly, earning them chuckles from everyone else.

"Say, have you guys eaten?" Randy asked them.

"We're actually on our way to the pizza place downstairs. Wanna join us?" Chris added.

"No, we haven't." Maria replied.

"And sure, we'd love too." Melina said hearing her stomach grumble.

They made their way to the pizza place, which took them a long time because a group of WWE Superstars and Divas was without a doubt very noticeable. After they ate, they decided to go back to the hotel. They rode home with the limo provided by the WWE. The ride home was fun.

"... No! The chimp didn't eat the banana! The elephant ate the peanuts." Jeff exclaimed in exasperation.

"You're talking about two different things, Jeff. You're talking about what the elephant ate, but you're leaving out what the chimp ate. The chimp ate the banana." Chris smirked in his dominance.

"Oh no. I can't breathe." Maria was in hysterics and was gasping for breath.

"Why even bother talking about this?" Randy asked nudging John who was already falling on him laughing his butt off.

"Uh... duh... because primates rock..." Chris and Jeff said together in a matter-of-factly way. It didn't help. They all cracked up.

"I can't take any of this anymore!" Mickie put her hands into the air, as if she was giving up.

"We don't have to put up with this anymore. We're here." Candice spoke, wiping the tears from her eyes.

They exited the limo and walked to the lobby. Mickie made her way beside Carlito crept up on him.

"Hey Carly, see you tomorrow night."

"Uh... Yeah... Sure..." He managed to say at a loss for words. He watched Mickie enter the elevator with the girls and waited with the guys for the second elevator to open. "That's cool." He said to himself.

Randy glared at him from the back. John took notice "Are you alright man?"

"Of course I am." He firmly said. The elevator came and they retired to their rooms for a good night's rest.

--

_The next evening..._

Knock! Knock!

Carlito anxiously waited for the door to open. He can hear muffled voices. "Wait a sec." was the only clear thing he can understand.

Soon enough the door opened and his jaw dropped at the sight of Mickie. He almost dropped the rose he brought for her.

"You look... great." was the first thing that came from his mouth and gave her the rose.



Mickie smiled sweetly and thanked him. He escorted her to the elevator. As the elevator door opened, they were faced by a familiar face. Randy Orton stood there. He checked Mickie out and soon his piercing eyes were looking straight into Mickie's. He came to his senses and nodded at Carlito.

"Excuse me." Randy said coldly and put his arm forward to signal that he was going in the elevator.

As the elevator doors closed, Randy closed his eyes. _Gosh, she looks beautiful._

"What's up with him?" Carlito asked Mickie, for he sensed Randy's cold attitude.

Mickie said nothing but shrugged, worried as well.

They rode a limo, smaller than the one last night, to the venue. They entered the restaurant. Mickie liked it. It was not TOO fancy, like where the McMahons would go to. The menu was affordable, not that they couldn't afford expensive food, but she loved living life in simplicity. Carlito led her to the table that was reserved for them and ordered their food. While waiting for their food, Carlito looked at her intently. He liked Mickie a lot. He liked everything about her from the way she looked to her personality. She was unique. He continued to look at her... there is something missing. He couldn't pinpoint what exactly it is. But something's missing. He's sure of it.

"What?" Mickie noticed he was looking at her. Who wouldn't notice? They were on a date and he's not saying anything.

"Mickie. I'm sorry if I stared at you. It's just that I've been waiting a long time to be on a date with you and now that I got the chance I just... just..." Carlito said quickly, but Mickie was able to catch what he said. His nervousness is getting the better of him.

"Carlito, chill. It's okay. Really." Mickie assured him.

A conversation popped up somewhere in their waiting and it continued until their food was served and as they were eating. When they finished, Mickie decided it was time to tell Carlito that they should be better off as friends.

"Carly, thanks." Mickie said after she took a sip from her drink.

"Oh no. It should be I who will thank you for agreeing to go out and all." Carlito shook his head.

"Yes. Uhm, Carlito. I don't really want to rush things. I think we should be better off as friends." Mickie told him. Her eyes said everything, though.

"Are you saying I should wait?" Carlito asked, doing nothing but looking at her.

"I'm saying we should put everything else aside and be friends. I'm not really feeling anything for you right now." Mickie's eyes were moist. _No one wants to be in this position._ She thought.

Carlito was quiet for a few seconds. _If it makes her happy..._

"Okay, Mickie. I can be your friend." Carlito told her, giving her the sweetest smile. "It's gonna take a while for my feelings to subside, but I'm cool with that."

"Aww Carlito. You're a really nice guy. Thanks." Mickie stood up and gave him a friendly hug.

"Do you want to go back to the hotel now?" He asked her as he asked for the bill.

"Sure."

"Wait a minute. I'm gonna pay the bill." He said.

"I'm going to contribute." Mickie muttered as she rummaged through her purse.

"No! I got it covered." Carlito refused her offer.

"I am going to take my part in paying that bill, whether you like it or not. You can't stop me." She insisted, followed by an evil laugh. "Gahh... Men and bills!" She said to herself.



After paying the bill, they rode the limo again and went back to the hotel. Apparently, limo rides back to the hotel are always fun.

"What does Cabana mean anyway?" Carlito asked.

"I have no idea. That's your segment you should know." Mickie looked at him, giggling.

They arrived at the hotel and Mickie saw Randy at the cafe.

"I'm gonna stay here a while, Carly, you can go up if you want to." Mickie told Carlito.

"Are you sure you don't want me to accompany you?" Carlito asked her.

"No, it's alright."

"Okay. See you around." Carlito waved her goodbye. Mickie waved back.

She went inside the cafe and made her way to Randy's table. He was looking down at his cup of chocolate.

"Is there something wrong?" Mickie asked him. He looked up, surprised.

"No. Why?" He said as he motioned for her to sit.

"You didn't seem too happy earlier when we ran into you." Mickie said.

Randy just shrugged. He finished his chocolate.

"I should get some sleep, now." Randy told Mickie as he stood up. He smiled and offered his hand to Mickie. "C'mon."

Mickie took his hand and they linked arms on the way to Mickie's room.

"Good night, Randy." Mickie told him once they were outside her door.

"Sweet dreams, Micks."

"Hope so. You too." She said, smiling at him. She opened her door and went in her room.

"G'night." She heard as her door closed.

She lay on her back and stared at the ceiling. She stayed there and took a breath. Then, she washed up and changed in her PJs for a peaceful sleep.

--

_AN: I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaack! I'm sorry I didn't update in a looooong time. I had a severe case of writer's block, and I'm still recovering, so sorry for the rather boring chapter, IMO. Blame it on the Jonas Brothers and David Cook. They're the only ones in my mind right now. So sorry. R&R please. Thx._


	14. Judgment Day

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story. I don't own the characters.

**Judgment Day**

Maria's entrance music blared throughout the ring. Crowds cheered as they saw the ever perky Maria at the ramp, blowing kisses to everyone. She made her way to the ring and rested her hands on her knees, waiting for her opponent to come. _This is it. _She thought. The day she has been anxiously waiting. She had trained with Beth for a month, practising what they would do. _Women's Champion. Oh my, imagine all those autograph signings! Gold around my waist. My moment of glory. _She smirked. Not long after, her music faded, and was replaced with Beth Phoenix's music. Her opponent came out, her muscles were shown, power evident in her form. She held her belt up for everyone to see. The belt that she knew was going to Maria. _It's not the end. No, not at all. _She thought. In this business, it only ends when you're fired. She sat on one of the ring posts and raised her belt up again. She handed it to the referee and tumbled her way down and landed on her feet. The ref handed her belt back.

She stood face to face with Maria who was about a meter an a half away. The bell rang so Lilian can introduce the competitors.

"This match is scheduled for one fall, and it is for the WWE Women's championship." She paused to hear the cheers of the crowds. "Introducing the challenger, from Chicago, Illinois, MARIA!" Maria raised her hands up to the cheering audience. "And from Buffalo, New York, she is the WWE Women's Champion, Beth Phoenix the GLAMAZON!" She held her belt up for everyone to see, taunting Maria. A mixture of cheers and jeers were heard. Then, once again, Beth handed her belt to the referee. Jerry Lawler and Jim Ross were saying something about how Maria never beat Beth and if she could overcome Beth tonight. And so the bell rang.

The competitors circled around each other and soon they locked up. Beth, the more powerful of the two, pushed her to the floor. Maria got up immediately and locked up again. This time, Beth pushed her to the corner. Beth slowly walked to Maria, and she wasn't quick enough to block the punches that Maria showered upon her. Maria kicked her side and Beth bent down in pain. Maria didn't stop kicking her, but soon enough, Beth got hold of her foot. She threw her foot down and lunged at Maria. Maria then evaded her. She tried to end the match early and attempted a roll-up, but Beth was too strong to be knocked down. Since Maria was on the floor, and Beth was standing up, Beth stomped her foot on Maria's stomach. Beth picked her up and pushed her to the ropes. Bouncing back, Maria received a clothesline. Then, Beth slammed her to the corner. Things weren't looking good for Maria. She was pummelled to the ground and Beth was acting smug. Beth pulled her to the middle of the ring and went for the pin, but Maria kicked out just in time. Beth went on beating her up, she was dominant. It came to the point that she messed up a move, and gave Maria the opportunity to gain some momentum. For a more or less brief period in their match, Maria threw her most powerful punches, kicks and the crowd believed there was still a chance for her to win. She didn't rest, for Beth might get up again. She performed a bulldog on Beth and went for the pin. Beth lifted her shoulder at 2 and a half. Seeing that Beth couldn't get up yet, Maria quickly went to the corner and stood on the top rope. Then she waited. 

Beth stood up, acting dizzy. Maria propped herself and she left the rope, giving Beth a very powerful crossbody.

"Oh my gawd, JR! Did you see that?" Jerry Lawler spoke through his headset, amazed that Maria knocked Beth down with a beautiful execution of a crossbody.

"Oh yes, I did King. Maria is giving all she has to get that title. I'm amazed that she lasted this long in the match." J.R. replied.

Again, Maria went for the pin, and when they all thought she was about to win Beth kicked out. Maria pulled Beth into a vertical position and Beth took this as an opportunity to attack. Beth gained enough momentum to perform a suplex on Maria and pinned her. Maria kicked out, not wanting to give up. Beth carried Maria on her shoulders and attempted to throw her face first to the top turnbuckle. But Maria got off Beth quickly and pushed Beth instead, and Beth crashed to the ring post. Maria pulled Beth by the hair and hit her face on the turn buckle. She gave Beth kicks to the side. Beth pushed her to the ropes, but she rammed in to Beth causing her to move a few steps backward. She did a move she learned from Mickie, which made Beth fall. She bounced back from the ropes and gave a Bulldog to Beth just as Beth stood up. She waited for Beth to stand up again and prepared for a DDT. Beth countered by raising her up and Beth positioned so she can execute the move right. Maria lunged forward making Beth lose her balance and Maria went for a roll-up. _I'm gonna win. _She kept thinking to herself over and over. 1... 2... 3!! The bell rang and the match was over. Maria released Beth and jumped up and down and around the ring. The audience stood up and cheers echoed all around the arena. Her eyes began to water and as soon as the belt was given to her she hugged it tight and she was down on her knees.

"Here is your winner, and the NEW WWE WOMEN'S CHAMPION, MARIA!!"

She smiled the biggest smile the world has ever seen from her. She walked around the ring and walked up the ramp. She gave some fans high fives and she kept looking back at the ring where Beth was. The look on Beth's face was priceless. Shocked and angry at the same time. She blew the fans one last kiss before walking to gorilla position.

Behind the cameras, she was greeted by the Divas who cuddled in for a group hug. They were squealing. Soon Beth joined in on the hug. They were friends in real life. Nothing was going to change that.

"Maria, you were great out there. You too, Beth. Both of you were awesome. Maria, oh my gosh!" Mickie said as she hugged her friend.

"This is your moment, Ree. You're gonna shine." Candice said hugging with Mickie.

"Guys, thanks. But really, I need to go to the locker room. My feet are killing me. I still have a segment to do later." Maria requested.

"C'mon. We'll go with you." Melina said. The other Divas were nodding.

...

A few more matches went by and the Titantron showed backstage. The camera showed John Cena walking one way, and he passed by Maria. They met face to face. At the same time, Maria goes to her left while John goes to his right. Both moved the opposite way again, so they met face to face again. "Hey Maria. Congratulations on your match earlier! Women's Champion, mm mm mm." He said while nodding. It was obvious that it was an excuse to check her out. John once again moves to his right but this time, Maria stayed in her place. As John moved forward, Maria turned around. "Good luck in your 

match, John." She says, making John smile. "Thanks." And he went away. The camera zooms in on Maria, admiring her newly won Championship belt hanging on her shoulder and making quick glances to where John headed.

...

The Titantron showed a video of John Cena with his pectoral muscle injured, and next showing how Chris Jericho won the title. Then it fast forwarded to Backlash, John's return and the punches Chris and John threw to each other and an exchange of words between the two throughout the period between Backlash and Judgment Day. And then the video ended and the focus of the camera was on the ramp.

John Cena's music started playing. Some cheered, some booed. He came out and did his stuff. The bell rang and Lilian Garcia's voice was heard once again.

"This match is scheduled for one fall, and it is for the WWE Championship. Introducing the challenger from West Newbury, Massachusetts, weighing 240 lb, John Cena!"

John went in the ring and did the "I-want-my-belt-back" action and threw his shirt to the fans, like he always does and he waited for Chris Jericho. It didn't take long before the first words of his entrance theme played and the figure of a man with his arms raised sideward showed.

"And making his way to the ring from Manhasset, New York, weighing 225 lb, the WWE Champion, Chris Jericho!"

As soon as Chris Jericho walked in the ring, he handed his belt to the ref and the bell rang. They circled each other before locking up. Soon Y2J had John Cena in a head lock. John pushed him to the ropes but as soon as Y2J bounced off them, he pushed Cena to the floor. Cena got up and punched him, but he received more punches than he gave from Y2J. When he was propped up in the corner, he kicked Jericho to the stomach and Y2J staggered back. Cena went near Jericho, only to be thrown to the ropes. He ducked as Jericho got ready to give him a clothesline and he bounced back to give a clothesline of his own. With Jericho knocked down, he covered him up. At 1, Y2J's shoulder went up, and the match continued. Both Superstars were at a vertical position throwing punches to each other. This time, Jericho threw Cena to the ring and successfully executed a hip kick to Cena. Cena rolled out of the ring and Chris Jericho followed. He fell into Cena's trap and as soon as his feet touched the floor, Cena took him down and started giving him punches. Cena picked Y2J by the hair and rolled him in the ring and when he entered, he was greeted with a foot to his chest. A few more stomps followed and pinned Cena, resulting only to a mere near fall. The match continued as Cena stood up and pushed Y2J to the ring post and hitting Y2J's head with his knee. He measured Jericho for the FU but Jericho escaped his grasp. After Chris knocked Cena down, he locked the Walls of Jericho. Screaming in agony, John Cena used all his energy at that point to get near the bottom rope. His back was killing him but he knew he couldn't give up. His arms were his only weapon. More than once he thought of tapping out, but he fought the idea. He crawled toward the bottom rope and raised his hand to reach it. He felt relief as Y2J stood up and released him. He was grabbed by Y2J at the foot but Cena kicked him away. He gave Y2J a clothesline before finally picking him up and he did an FU. Cena covered him up but at 2 and a half Jericho kicked out. Cena threw him to the ropes and did a backdrop on Jericho. He gave a series of clotheslines before Y2J bent down and Cena lost his balance. Chris Jericho attempted another Walls of Jericho but Cena kicked him. Cena attacked, pummelling Y2J to the floor. Quickly he went to the second 

rope and hit Y2J with his elbow. With Y2J on the floor, John Cena did his Five Knuckle Shuffle. With dominance going back and forth with these Superstars, it was hard determine the winner. John Cena picked Y2J and did the FU two times. He covered him up. 1... _Stay still, Chris _2... _C'mon get on with the three count now. _3!!

"It's done, J.R.!" King's voice was now clear to John. His music started playing, he noticed.

"He got his title back, the title he never lost!" J.R. nodded.

"Oh my gosh!" His partner said, leaving Jim Ross to shake his head.

"Here is your winner and the NEW WWE CHAMPION! John CeNAAAAAAAA!" Lilian spoke through the mic.

The ref handed Cena the belt which he took with pride. With a smirk displayed on his lips, he raised the belt for everyone to see. The crowds just keep on cheering. Most of them were on their feet. He realized Chris Jericho was gone and he was the only guy in the ring. He stood on the second rope facing the fans and held his belt up again.

The camera stopped rolling. The pay-per-view has ended. John Cena went to his locker room to rest. Nothing right now can make his happiness fade.

...

_AN: Hey guys, see the name change? I used to be Psycantonner. Anyway, it's still me. Reviews please guys._


	15. Go For It

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story. Don't own the characters.

**Go For It**

The pay-per-view was over and almost all the Superstars were present for a celebration at a bar in the city. The parking space was filled with limousines and shiny cars. Inside the bar, tables were occupied by big buff men and hot ladies, recognized by most as the WWE roster. Seated at one table were Randy, Mickie, Jeff, Candice, John and Maria. They were engaged in a conversation when someone pushed Jeff.

"Move over!" The man said as he ruffled Jeff's hair.

"Sheesh Matt, push me and everything, but could you leave my hair alone?" Jeff told his brother as he moved his chair closer to Candice while Matt inserted his chair between Jeff and Mickie.

"Aww, but Jeff, we barely get to see other anymore." Matt said as he took a sip from his drink.

"How sweet..." They heard Maria say. Matt looked at her and grinned.

"What's sweeter is you winning the women's championship."

"No way. It's I becoming champ again." John disagreed, poking Maria's side and so he got slapped at the arm. Everyone at the table except John rolled their eyes.

"Sure, John." Matt said. "Hey, uh listen. I'm going to find someone to dance with. See ya later guys."

"Oh please, the guy can't even dance." Jeff told his friends as Matt walked away.

He closed his eyes and tilted his head up when Matt shouted "I heard that!" earning him chuckles from his friends.

They continued on talking and when Jeff decided he needed to go to the rest room, he excused himself. After he had finished doing his business, he looked around the bar and saw his brother sitting alone.

"What are you doing alone?" He asked Matt.

"Oh, I'm not alone. I just came back from 3 dances." His brother replied. Jeff sat down next to him.

"Wow, you danced." He joked, and Matt pushed Jeff from the back of his head.

"Ow!" Jeff winced. A moment of silence passed over them.

"You like her again, don't you?" Matt asked out of the blue. "Huh?" Jeff replied, confused.

"Candice. You like her again."

"Why would you say that?" Jeff asked in denial. When Matt didn't respond, he gave up. "Yeah. How'd you know?"

"I sensed it. Besides, I keep glancing at your table, making sure you weren't drunk yet. Go for it, Jeff. I think she likes you, too." Matt looked at his younger brother.

"Yeah?" Jeff perked up. Then he slouched again. "How would you know?"

"Trust me." Matt said before a girl asked him to dance with her. Jeff went back to their table. Candice was looking at him and it made him nervous. _She likes me too?_

"What took you so long, Jeff?" She asked.

"I guess Jeff ate a little too much beans..." Randy said, smirking. Mickie choked on her drink and they all laughed.

"That's funny, Randy. Yeah, real funny." Jeff fake laughed. Then he looked at Candice "Hey... Uhm... You want to dance?" _Nice going Jeff! _Jeff told him self sarcastically, thinking he messed up. He held out his hand.



"Sure, Jeff." Candice smiled and took his hand. Jeff led her to the dance floor and they started to dance. They were enjoying a really upbeat song and they were dancing like there was no tomorrow. Jeff did his entrance dance for a while and he dared Candice to do the same.

"C'mon. It's not that hard. Maria did it once..." He insisted.

"Now that you reminded me... I'm positive. I don't want to try it." She joked.

"I'm telling on you."

"I was just kidding!! Okay okay I'll do it." And she did a really bad impression of Jeff.

The song was over and a slow song started to play. Both of them secretly happy, they moved closer to each other. Candice rested her arms on Jeff's shoulder while Jeff rested his on her waist. At first it was uncomfortable, each looking at the opposite direction, their eyes never met.

Candice was debating with herself whether she should look at Jeff or not. Part of her wanted to because she didn't want Jeff to think she doesn't like him. Part of her didn't want to because she might become engrossed with him. Over time, she found herself liking Jeff more and more, but she was afraid to show it, thinking her friendship with him might end.

Jeff, on the other hand was waiting for the right time to tell Candice how he feels. His feelings for Candice became more than just a crush. He was falling for her, and he can't deny it to himself.

Instinctively, he looked at her. He looked at her in time as she was moving her head to face him. Their eyes locked instantly. Time seemed to freeze and they were looking at each other as if they understood what was in the other's head. Jeff bent down, not breaking their eye contact. He gave her a half smile, and it showed in his eyes. Candice tilted her head up and they could feel the gap between them closing. They kissed slowly at first and as time went by the kiss got more passionate. Neither of them knew the song had ended.

"Look what we have here." Randy said softly from the table as he noticed Jeff and Candice were making out. John heard Randy and his jaw dropped when he looked at where Randy was looking. Mickie and Maria looked at each other and grinned.

"I knew it..." Mickie said to herself. She just remembered something. She caught Maria's eye and when Mickie knew Maria was paying attention to her she mouthed. _Jealous?_

Maria's eyes widened. "No Mickie!" She accidentally said out loud. Randy and John turned their heads to Maria with puzzled looks on their faces. By now, Jeff and Candice broke apart and shyly made their way to the table.

They sat down and looked at their friends. None of them were saying anything. They were just smirking at them except for John who was still shocked.

"Since when was this?" Mickie demanded from the two of them.

"Since when was what?" Candice asked, avoiding the question.

"This." Maria said. Her palms were open as they pointed from Jeff to Candice.

"Just... now..." Jeff said slowly, looking at Candice as if asking for confirmation.

"Shut up!" Mickie and Maria said excitedly.

Randy looked at John and rolled his eyes as if saying _Women..._

"Wow. I never imagined you guys being together." John told them.

"Me neither." Jeff said.

"Are you official?" Randy asked. Mickie gave him a "duh" look.

Candice looked at Jeff and he smiled before stealing a kiss. "Guess so."



The girls squealed.

Jeff looked around for Matt and he found him dancing. Matt noticed his brother looking at him. He saw what happened earlier and gave him a grin and a thumbs up. Jeff nodded and grinned back at his brother. Just then "Don't Stop the Music" by Rihanna played.

"Oh, I love that song! Anyone want to dance?" Maria said. She was already standing up.

"Oh, me!" Mickie and Candice said at the same time.

The boys shrugged. "What the heck? We do, too." Randy said. They left their table and danced the night away.

...

AN: Hmmm... Jeff and Candice are now a couple. One down, two to go. wink


	16. This was Better

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story. Don't own almost all the characters.

**This was Better**

"You ready?" John asked Maria from behind, startling her. It was an episode of Monday Night Raw, right after Judgment Day. John was talking about their segment.

"Yup." Maria nodded. A crewman approached them. "We're on in 3 minutes, kay? Review your lines; make sure you don't go blank."

"Before, they'd make me go blank on purpose." Maria whispered, rolling her eyes. John stifled a laugh. They went to their positions and waited for the cue to start.

"Were on in 5, 4, 3, 2," A man said and mouthed 'one'.

The Titantron flashed and the viewers saw Maria leaning against a table, her championship belt wrapped around her waist. Her face brightened up and in a matter of seconds, the fans cheered as John Cena came into view.

"Hey, Maria." John said, checking her out.

"Hi John!" Maria's bubbly voice echoed.

"Look at you. Wow! I mean it seems like yesterday when you were catching up to superstars," John moved his forefinger and middle finger alternately, to signify running around. "You know, with your microphone, and interviewing them and all." He paused to breathe, not to mention give her a heart melting smile. "Now, here you are, the WWE Women's Champion! _You're_ the one who's being interviewed now. I'm so happy for you." He said with a twinkle in his eye. Maria giggled before replying.

"Well, I guess all my hard work paid off. I did my best to be successful and well, I'm glad now I have gold around my waist. I fought hard for it, and I bet you I will fight harder to keep it." She said rather intelligently. She loved her new character. She's not Maria the ditzy backstage interviewer anymore. She is Maria the Women's Champion. She looked at John, expecting a response, but John just stared at her. His smile made her melt. She almost forgot her line.

"What?" She asked, eyeing him curiously. John took one step closer to her.

"You know what? It has been a really long time since..."

"Since?" Maria leaned forward acting confused.

Slowly, John cupped her face and soon his lips were on hers. They got into it too much that they forgot they were filming a segment. Maria got to her senses first when she heard the crowd cheer. She pulled away slightly so John can pull away, to make the crowd believe that he was the one pulling away. Still feeling a little dazed, he did his best to carry out his role.

"It feels different than last time." John said softly. Part of him was genuine, part of him was acting.

"Oh?" Her voice had a hint of disappointment.

"This was better." He winked at her, accompanied with a smirk before he walked away.

The camera focused on her as she bit her bottom lip and involuntary blushed. The bell rang and the focus of the people was on the ring.

...

"_This was better."_



Maria's head kept repeating his words since the end of their segment. The only time she had her mind of him was when she had some in-ring time. But after that, she was lost in her thoughts about John again.

_Get a grip Maria! It was part of the scene. He __**had**__ to say it. _She thought. She was rereading their script for the scene. _It's not part of the script. _She fought herself. _No... It was for dramatic effect! He was supposed to walk away after the kiss! Oh no, I sounded disappointed at one time. NOOOO! But that kiss... was it really better? How about the second one we had in his room? _Unknowingly, she touched her lips as she was thinking.

"You know, if you really liked it, why don't you ask for another one?" She heard someone say, putting her out of her trance.

"Huh?" She turned around to see Candice; she was a little relieved knowing it was her.

"Come on Maria. I know you liked that kiss. You like him, don't you?" She smirked as she sat down beside her best friend.

"Shut up, Candy! You know it was just part of our work. And of course I like him, he's my best friend, remember?" Maria gaped, becoming defensive.

"Mhmm, sure. Yeah." Candice was still unconvinced.

"Candy..." Maria warned her not to start anything.

"Ria..." Candice said with an equally warning voice not to lie.

"Mickie..." Candice and Maria looked to where the voice came from. They laughed when they saw Mickie standing with her hand on her hip.

"I can't stand being left out my dears!" She plopped down to the seat next to Maria's.

"So Maria..." Mickie started naughtily.

"What?" She asked quickly. She just knew Mickie was going to talk about the kiss.

"You liked it didn't ya? You loved locking lips with Johnny." Mickie slurred her words. _Yep. I was right. She was going to talk about the kiss. _Maria thought. She rolled her eyes and looked at Candice. She had a victorious look on her face. Then Maria looked at Mickie. She had a victorious look on her face, too. Maria looked up in defeat.

"You're not answering our question." She heard Mickie say. She gave up.

"Okay. I liked it A BIT. There. Will you guys stop now?" Maria covered her eyes in embarrassment.

"Look Mickie, she's blushing!" Candice giggled, and they both squealed. Maria just pouted.

"Aw, Ria. Look, we'll take you to dinner. Let us make it up to you with a girl's night out, kay?" Mickie hugged her.

"Ok. You guys are the best." She said, giving them a sweet smile. "But won't you have a date with Jeff?" She asked Candice.

"It's not until the weekend. I'd love to spend time with you, guys." Candice reassured that she would be there for a night of fun. They readied their things so they can leave.

"Where will we be next week?" Candice asked as she placed her ring attire in her bag.

"Denver. We leave on Wednesday." Maria replied.

"Oh..." Candice nodded.

"Well, are you guys ready to go?" Mickie asked.

"Yeah." Maria and Candice replied at the same time and they went out of the arena.

...

Randy was alone on his locker room. He was planning on how he can make Mickie like him the same way he liked her. Jeff won Candice over, and he planned to do the same thing to Mickie. He thought hard.

_Well, now I know it's possible. It worked for Jeff and Candice. Yet, Mickie is different from Candice; I don't know how to make her like me... Hmm. Next Raw episode is in Denver. I'd better step my game up. Carlito might get in the way... _He started pacing back and forth. _No, Randy. Stop it. He already accepted their friendship, didn't he? Yes, he did. Okay. We have a house show on Friday. So..._

Randy stopped in his tracks. "Of course."

He reached into his pocket for his phone. He scanned his phonebook.

_Come on... Here we go..._

He pushed the call button. _Pick up..._

"Hello?" The person from the other line answered. The person was a female.

"Hey ya!" Randy said enthusiastically.

"Randy! Why'd you call?" She giggled. "What do you need, now?"

"See, we're going there on Wednesday..." He started.

"That's great! I better get to watch you, alright?" She demanded jokingly. At that, Randy's grin widened.

"Of course. When I'll get there, I'll tell which hotel I'm staying at so I can give you the passes. Front row, so you can get a good view of me. But, I need your help."

"With what?" Her curiosity was evident in her voice.

"With who, you mean. With Mickie." He said. Chuckles came from the other end.

"And how shall I do that?" She asked.

"Help me make her jealous." Randy scrunched his face. _Please make her agree, pleaseeeee._

"Randy, I don't think it would work." She nagged.

"I don't know any other way, please..." He asked in the most pleading voice, he even made a puppy dog pout, although he knew she couldn't see it.

She sighed. "You're making that puppy dog pout again, aren't you?" She sighed again. "Oh, okay. How can I resist my closest childhood friend?" She said, giving up.

"Thank you so much! I knew protecting you from all the guys who tried to hit on you paid off, oh yeah." Randy told her. _YES!_

"Shut up, Randy. Okay, I need to go, still got some things to do. I'll see you." She said as she shook her head.

"Bye Kaycee, see ya." He said sheepishly. He heard a beeping noise. She hung up.

_Thank God for friends like Kaycee._

_..._

_AN: Randy, Randy, Randy... Don't you know that jealousy doesn't work? Or does it?  
_

_I'd like to introduce you to my first OC with a name: Kaycee. She's Randy's childhood friend. And according to what you just read, Randy protected her from all the guys who tried to hit on her. So basically, it's a brother-sister relationship. Will Randy's plan turn out for the better? I have no idea, sorry._

Reviews please. :D


	17. Admit It

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story. Don't own almost all the characters.  
Quick AN: You guys are in for a long chapter.

**Admit It.**

Randy read the text message sent to him by Kaycee.

_I'm here. xCee_

_What luck? They're all here._ He thought. He peered from his cell phone to his friends who were lining up at the front desk for checking in. Replying to the message,

_I'm at the lobby. I'm not hard to miss. I'm the hottest among all of them. LOL. Don't forget our plan ;D xRandy_

From the other end, Kaycee was chuckling. _Randy. You haven't changed a bit... I think._

Scanning the lobby, he started to look for Randy. She started with the longest line. From there she saw fairly large guys and beautiful ladies. She looked at the middle of the line. The first person that caught her attention was Maria. She was wearing something really beautiful and eye catching. Behind her was John. Kaycee snickered when she saw John stare at Maria and when she turned around, he looked away. Then she saw Jeff with Candice in front of him. He was hugging her from behind. Behind them was Mickie. She smiled. She was very familiar to her. After all, when Randy told her he liked Mickie, he wouldn't stop bugging her until she googled Mickie. She continued looking.

_There he is. Oh great. Now I have to put on my act. _She thought and she rolled her eyes.

"Randy!" She walked faster to him. His head turned to her direction and she waved.

"Kaycee!" He excitedly said as he saw her and caught her in his arms as she approached. He hugged her tight. Although he planned on making Mickie jealous, Kaycee was still his close friend and it's natural for him to feel very happy upon meeting her. Kaycee hugged him just as tight, and gave him a friendly peck on the cheek.

"Ehem." They heard someone say. It was Mickie.

_It's working already? And we weren't even trying yet. _Kaycee thought. By that time, Maria, John, Candice and Jeff were looking at them, too. Kaycee broke the hug and looked at Randy. "I missed you." She said.

"So have I." He smiled at her.

"You're not going to introduce us to her?" John looked curiously at Randy then at Kaycee.

"John, you guys don't need introduction. You know them, right?" He asked Kaycee. She nodded. "But they don't know me, do they?"

"Guys, this is Kaycee. My... uh... friend." He said as he winked at her. She giggled. _I'm pathetic. Once we're alone Randy, I'm going to kill you._ She thought.

"Oh, your friend." Mickie said, unconvinced. _What the hell? No way. Were they just flirting with each other?_

"Yeah." Randy looked at Kaycee. "Mhmm." She said sweetly.

"Hi, Kaycee. So how did you get to know Randy?" Maria asked. She said from the front.

"We met at a party." She elbowed Randy and grinned at him. Of course, she was talking about Randy's birthday party when he turned 2, but no one knew. Randy smirked.

_If only I wouldn't get suspended, I'd bite your head off. _Mickie's bad mood is starting. _My Randy._ She turned around to prevent herself from showing her jealousy. After Randy checked in at the front desk, 

he brought his things to his room with Kaycee following him. He told his friends he'd be down in a minute to join them for a snack. He opened a conversation with Kaycee.

"You think it's working?" He asked her.

"It might be. You know what Randy? Flirting with you is disgusting. I promised myself the next time we're alone I'll kill you. Now's the time." She said as she punched Randy on the chest.

"Ouch... That hurts. It hurts so much because I'm not a professional wrestler who doesn't get his ass beaten every week." He said sarcastically as tickled her at the sides.

"Randy! Stop. I'm sorry, okay." Kaycee squealed as she tried to get away from Randy but he wouldn't stop.

"I won't stop until you say something nice that satisfies me." Randy said.

"I'm going to scream and tell others what you did on your 13th birthday." Kaycee blackmailed. Randy let her go. He knew how much she knows about him, even the embarrassing facts.

"That's better. Well, come on. Let's go down. Now." Kaycee commanded.

"But..." Randy complained. But, Kaycee was already walking down the hall. "Now!"

...

"So what do we do now?" Jeff asked. They still had 7 hours before all the WWE Superstars were required to meet.

"Kaycee, you're the one who's familiar with the place. Where's a good place to go?" Candice, who was leaning against Jeff, asked Kaycee.

"Well, there are a lot of beautiful parks here. The nearest one is just 4 minutes from here if you take a vehicle. 20 minutes tops if you walk." She replied.

"Will you take us, Cee? We don't know where it is." Randy requested with pleading eyes. Mickie rolled her eyes in her head.

"I'm sure your driver knows where it is." Kaycee smiled.

"Sorry, John doesn't know where it is." Maria giggled. John looked at Maria and nudged her.

"Oh, so you were going to take a rental car. I thought you were going to take a limo. Considering you guys are really famous and all." She wanted to glare at Randy because he had told her they always took the limo. Randy realized he told her that and made a mental note to prepare for a beating later.

"Oh please, we're not that famous." Maria told her, being the humble person that she is.

"She's just being modest." Randy whispered but he was heard by everyone there, anyway. His friends shook their heads at him. "So will you take us there?" He asked, ignoring their faces.

"But I really don't want to take up any more space." She said.

"Come on, it's better than stopping and asking for directions." John said.

"What is it with men and asking for directions?" Mickie spoke up for the first time since they came down.

"That was the exact thing I was thinking." Maria said laughing.

"Oh my gosh, me too." Candice and Kaycee said. They started laughing, too. The three men just sighed.

...

"Oh wow. This is beautiful!" Candice exclaimed as she entwined her hands with Jeff's. In a matter of minutes, they arrived at the park. Jeff leaned in for a kiss.

"Look at the flowers! How attractive." Maria said as she sat down next to John on the bench. _No, you're attractive. _John thought as he looked at her.



"It's sure nice to get a breath of fresh air, isn't it?" Mickie said. She took a whiff of the air, and she didn't know but she turned Randy on.

"Thanks for showing us the way Cee." Randy put his arm on her Kaycee's shoulder. Mickie glared at them.

"Oh, it's no problem Randy. Hey look let's get some cotton candy." She grabbed Randy by the hand and ran over to the stand.

"Oh look! They have a hotdog stand!" He stood up. "I shall return." He told them in a low voice. "With hotdogs!"

"Wait for me!" Jeff ran after him, which left Candice giggling at her boyfriend. She sat down next to Mickie who was beside Maria. Mickie obviously wasn't in a good mood. She sat on the bench leaning back with her arms crossed.

"What's up Mickie? This place is supposed to turn your frown upside down!" Maria said enthusiastically. Mickie raised her eyebrow at her. "It's the park's slogan, see." She pointed to a sign that she read it from.

"No really, what's bothering you?" Candice asked Mickie after she laughed at Maria.

"Nothing." Mickie sneered. She was glaring at the returning figures of Kaycee and Randy from the distance. They were feeding each other the cotton candy, and whispering in each other's ear. They were secretly discussing Randy's diabolical plan.

"Don't tell me you're jealous of Kaycee, Micks. You like Randy?" Maria asked Mickie.

Mickie gave up. She didn't deny her crush to herself, there's no use denying it to her friends. "Oh, I've got a crush on him. Uh, no. I think I'm slowly falling for him." She whispered.

"Get out!" Candice gasped. She leaned back at the bench. "Awesome."

"Candice how can you say it's awesome when he's enjoying _her_ company?" Mickie said through gritted teeth.

"Don't feel too bad Mickie." Maria said. "They're not a couple. He said they're just friends."

"Maria, does that look like 'friends' to you?" Mickie asked her and motioned for her to look at Randy's direction. Mickie was being stubborn, Maria decided. She just sighed.

"We're back!" John sang as he plopped to his seat, which amazingly was still there in spite of the divas flocking together. Candice went back to the other bench with Jeff who offered her a hotdog. She gladly accepted.

"Candice, Maria, Mickie... and Kaycee and Randy, yes." He looked up to find Kaycee and Randy smiling. "I bought hotdogs for you, too. I know Randy would want one, and since Candice is already munching on hers, this goes to Ria, Micks and Kaycee. If you don't like hotdogs, I'll have them."

"Hah. Fat chance!" Mickie said as she reached her hand in the paper bag where the hotdogs were.

"Oh, but I love hotdogs!" Kaycee said as she wrapped the cotton candy and got hers from Randy who held the bag after Mickie. Randy got his own and gave the bag to Maria. She said nothing as she heartily got one from the bag and started to eat.

"What? Only three left for me?" John said disappointed.

"Pig." Randy said and everyone cracked up. John stuck his tongue out.

Just then, a little boy came forward and asked for a picture. They all posed with him with the exception of Kaycee, who refused to take a picture with them, claiming she hates being in pictures. Maria, who had an extra handkerchief and a marker had all of them sign on it and gave it to the boy.



"Thank you so much!" The kid's mother said. "Thanks." The boy said as his mother tugged him away. They waved at him.

"Aw. He's so cute. I love kids." Maria said. _I love kids too. _John thought.

"Maria..." Mickie said.

"Hm?"

"Why do you have a marker in your purse?" Mickie asked, she was on the verge of laughter.

"To avoid inconvenience in times like a while ago." Maria said simply, grinning.

When it was an hour before they should meet with the other Superstars, they went back to the hotel.

"You guys go on. I'll talk with Cee first." Randy told them in the lobby. They agreed, and Mickie rolled her eyes before riding the elevator.

"Thanks a lot, Cee. Here are the passes and the tickets. I forgot to give them to you a while ago." Randy told her.

"Oh, it was nothing, Randy. I'll do anything to help you out, remember? But I can't tomorrow. I have work. My boss allowed me one day only. I hope you'll hook up with Mickie tomorrow." She snickered as she received a light punch on the shoulder from Randy.

"Take care okay, Randy?" She hugged him.

"You too, Cee. You too." Randy said as he hugged her back. "Say, do you have a boyfriend now?" He asked teasingly.

"Well, someone wants to be. I'm thinking about it, though." She smiled as Randy's expression changed. "Don't be so protective, Randy. I can take care of myself now."

Randy calmed down. "Thanks again Cee. I can't thank you enough for helping me out."

"Uh Randy..." She slowly said.

"Yeah?"

"Why didn't you tell me John had rental?" She asked angrily.

"Hey, I thought we'd take the limo, too. And when he said he had rental, I forgot about it because I got excited about you coming..."

"Randy chill, I was just kidding. Okay. My ride's here." She said.

"You have a ride?" He raised an eyebrow.

"You know the guy who wants to be my guy?" She asked. A horn blew and a car pulled up. "Bye, Randy. See yah Monday night." She said. Randy went out with her and peered into the car. The guy was good looking. "Don't play with her. You'll be messing with me." He threatened him. The guy nodded and gulped. "Stop scaring him, Randy!" Kaycee said. The car speeded off and Randy went inside the hotel.

...

"It's nicer here early in the morning, isn't it?" Mickie said. The group went to the park again. This time they went on foot to get some exercise.

"It sure is." Maria said. John was beside her and he yawned, which Maria found real cute.

"C'mon guys!" They heard Candice and Jeff call. They were ahead by a few meters, starting their jog.

"Tag you're it!" John tagged Maria and ran off.

"John, you're gonna get it now!" Maria ran after him.

"Kids!" Randy told Mickie and threw his hands up in the air. Mickie, still not over with what happened yesterday and ignored him.

"Micks!" Randy called as Mickie jogged forward. Still, she didn't pay attention.

_What have I done? Cee was right. It's not a good idea. _He told himself in regret.

"Mickie what's up with you?" He caught up to her.

"You know what, Randy. It's none of you're business!" Mickie snapped, annoyed already.

"What did I do to you? Just because I spent time with Kaycee doesn't mean you have to be jealous." He blurted out.

"Woah, woah, woah, Randy! I'm not jealous of YOUR Kaycee, okay? Don't flatter yourself." Mickie nagged. "I could care less if she was your girlfriend, Randy. I won't care."

"What gave you the idea that we were together?" Randy sneered.

"Come on! You guys are so sweet it's disgusting!" Mickie exclaimed.

"Well what did you expect if you get to spend time with someone you have known since you were 2 who's almost close enough to be your sister? Wouldn't you act sweet?" Randy asked her. Mickie stood there staring at him. One of her eyes twitched.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me?!" Mickie pushed him. "You could have told me so I wouldn't have felt..." Mickie paused. She grinned slyly.

"Unless... of course... You were trying to make me jealous!" Mickie realized. She was smirking.

"Uh, no I'm not!" Randy denied.

"Admit it Randy Orton! You're trying to make me jealous. YOU LIKE ME!" Mickie gloated.

"No, I don't." Randy couldn't look her in the eye.

"Yeah, you do."

"No, I don't."

"Yeah, you do."

Randy looked at her. "No. I. Don't." He said firmly.

Mickie's smirk faded. Sadness loomed over her. It didn't help that Randy was smirking.

Slowly, he cupped Mickie's face with his hand and brought her in and kissed her gently on the lips. He pulled away slowly and looked her in the eyes. "I. Love. You." He whispered, hoping the three words sunk in Mickie's heart and mind. Seeing that Mickie's shocked expression didn't change, he looked down, thinking he made the wrong decision.

He looked up suddenly, having the feel of arms around his neck. His upper body jerked forward as Mickie's lips crashed upon his. Before he could respond to the kiss, Mickie pulled away and told him in the sweetest voice he ever heard. "Guess what Randy Orton, I love you, too." And once again, their lips met, this time they kissed with more passion.

When they separated, Randy put on his world famous smirk. Mickie's eyes narrowed and she hit his shoulder. "You are so lucky you had me shocked before I kicked you where it hurts!"

Randy chuckled. "I love you too, Mickie." And he hugged her.

Mickie said nothing and hugged him back.

"Mickie?" He looked around. "Where are the others?"

Mickie's head shot up and looked around. They weren't there. She shrugged.

"Like I care." And she hugged him again.

...

_AN: Dum Dee Dum! When oh when will John and Maria hook up? Will they ever hook up? Find out in the next chapters to come!_

_Randy and Mickie finally had the guts to tell each other how they feel. Finally! And it all turned out for the better! I'm confused though... Was this all part of Randy's plan?_

_Reviews Please!_


	18. What I've Been Looking For

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story. Don't own almost all the characters.

**What I've Been Looking For**

Maria explored the halls of the hotel. She wandered around in desperation to find something to do. Her friends were not around; Candice was with Jeff, while Mickie was with Randy. She shook her head, accompanied by a half smirk. She didn't expect Candice and Jeff to be an item, nor did she expect Mickie and Randy. Sighing, she continued walking. She was already venturing the fourth floor when a she was met with a familiar face. It was John Cena.

He had his hands in his pocket and he looked like he didn't know where to go. He saw her and grinned.

"You look bored."

Maria raised her brow. "Yeah? You do too."

"It's not fun when they're not around." He was referring to their friends. "They're all on their _dates_." He said as he rolled his eyes upon saying 'dates'.

"John Cena!" Maria gasped. "Are you saying that I'm not a fun person?" Maria pretended to be hurt.

"Hey. I wasn't saying anything." He replied ever so innocently. "Where were you going, by the way?"

"To tell you the truth John, I had no idea. You seemed like you didn't know where to go, too." Maria said.

"Well, I didn't but I just remembered something. I learned that this hotel has a rooftop garden. I picked up a brochure. Come on. Let's see it."

He involuntary grabbed Maria by the hand and pulled her to the elevators like little kid grabbing his mother's hand to show her something. As John pressed the button to the rooftop, he realized he was still holding Maria's hand. He looked at her and she was blushing. He could tell he was, too. He released her hand as the elevator doors opened. They sat on a bench facing the wonderful view of the city. Comfortable silence loomed over them.

"Who ever thought our best friends would hook up?" Maria asked no one in particular as she kept looking in front of her.

"It's surprising isn't it? Especially Randy and Mickie. But then again, they're both goofballs, so they'd get along." John answered watching her intently as she took a breath of fresh air. He got no response.

"Maria?" He whispered.

"Yeah?" She looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

"What's left now is for you and me to hook up." John smiled, half serious, half kidding. Maria elbowed him in the ribs.

"I was just kidding." John chuckled. He was disappointed she took it as a joke.

"I know." She grinned back. John thought he sensed a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Do you want to go somewhere else?" He asked her.

"Sure. The question is where?"

"Hmmm." John thought hard. So did Maria.

"McDonald's!" They said at the same time, resulting in fits of laughter.

"It's a date!" Maria said.

"It is?" John asked her, wishing he didn't sound too hopeful.

Maria burst into laughter. "It is if you buy me a happy meal."



"So it is a date." He laughed along with her after winking at her.

--

John closed his car door and smiled at Maria.

"Let's get us some fries." He comically stated. Maria giggled at him. He started his car and once they were moving Maria turned on the radio. A song played.

"Boring." She switched the station. "No." She kept switching until she heard Feels Like Tonight by Daughtry. She leaned back and looked at John, who was chuckling.

"What?" She asked. John just shrugged. She sang along to the song until it ended.

The DJ spoke after. He introduced the station and said it was the only station that played all kinds of songs randomly, and the 'applause' sound effect was heard.

A new song started to play and they didn't know what it is at first. As the intro played, they realized what song it was. After all, they had been around kids when they were doing charity work with the other WWE Superstars. It was What I've Been Looking For from High School Musical.

"Wow. When they say all kinds of songs, they mean all kinds of songs." John told Maria.

He reached out his hand to change the station. He stopped just when the he was about to push the button. The lyrics had started.

_It's hard to believe  
That I couldn't see  
You were always there beside me  
Thought I was alone  
With no one to hold  
But you were always right beside me_

John looked at Maria. She was listening to the song too. They knew the song. They kept on thinking why it had such an effect to them now. The song continued and John leaned back.

_This feeling's like no other  
I want you to know  
I've never had someone that knows me like you do  
The way you do  
I've never had someone as good for me as you  
No one like you  
So lonely before, I finally found  
what I've been looking for_

John realized how the song fit well with him and Maria. It also fit well with Candice and Jeff and Mickie and Randy. _I hope she gets the message. I pray and hope she feels the same way I feel for her. _John pondered some more. Without him realizing it, the song had ended.

As John was thinking to himself, Maria looked out the window. _No way. Here I am, with my best friend who knows me really well and who has been with me ever since we got close 2 years ago. Then this High School Musical song plays and it __**partially**__ describes John's _

_relationship with me._ She glanced at John. He was looking at the road, as though he was concentrating. Her eyes rested on his hands on the steering wheel. She traced the path to his muscles... to his chest... to his neck... to his lips... She was definitely checking him out. She wished he would look at her so she can stare into those baby blue eyes of his. She quietly sighed as she turned her head toward the window. _What are you thinking Maria? He's your friend. Your best friend. He makes you happy in times of your sadness. He cheers you up when you're down. He gives help when you need it. He's there when you need someone to talk to. He's your dream guy. Of course you like him. _The realization dawned on Maria. _Of course I LIKE HIM._

Once again she glanced at him. This time, she found herself staring into his eyes. His eyes lit up as he smiled at her. She never realized how warm she felt every time he smiled at her.

"We're here." John told her. She snapped back and looked around. The car was parked. _How long have I been thinking? _She asked herself.

"Well come on. We don't want to keep the food waiting." She said as she opened the car door and winked at him. John sat for a while and grinned. He checked all the doors were locked and walked side by side with Maria as they entered the fast food restaurant.

--

_AN: Now John and Maria have mutual feelings for each other, but they don't know that._

_I know this chapter is short but I really don't want to connect it with the next chapter because... just because. ;). BTW, I'm not that much of a HSM fan. I just used the song. :D._

_**Another Disclaimer**__: I do not own any radio station playing random songs. I don't own Feels Like Tonight, which is of course, by Daughtry. I don't own What I've Been Looking For; it is owned by those who composed it and agreed to use it for High School Musical. AND as much as I'd like to own McDonald's, I don't._

_Reviews Please._


	19. Happy Together

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story. Don't own almost all the characters.

**Happy Together**

"It was so beautiful, not to mention romantic. Jeff is such a romantic guy." Candice squealed to her friends. She was lying on the sofa, talking about her wonderful date with Jeff. He had brought her to an unpopulated beach, and it was still clean. They had stayed there until night time and they sat under the night sky while Jeff played a song he wrote for her. She sighed as she remembered yesterday.

"Candice that was so sweet of him." Maria said from her bed, while she was tinkering with the cute little bear she got from McDonald's.

"Well, I had a romantic day, too." Mickie called from the bathroom. "Randy and I watched a really romantic movie. Let's just say the characters in the movie weren't the only ones who had a kiss at the end of the movie."

The girls squealed altogether. Mickie continued, telling her friends that they ate after at this really fancy restaurant, although they didn't act all too fancy. No one cared, they had a VIP room.

"Enough about us. How about you Maria? I kinda felt bad that we left you alone." Mickie said after telling her story.

"Yeah, me too." Candice looked at Maria.

"I went to McDonald's!" She grinned while showing her bear. Her friends pretended to tickle it as it was too cute. "John bought it for me. Isn't it so adorable?" She awed.

"John?" Mickie and Candice asked at the same time.

"John was with you?" Mickie creased her eyebrows. "At McDonald's?" Candice asked with the same face.

"Yeah... What? We were both bored because the closest friends were on dates!" She said to make Mickie and Candice feel guilty. Instead, she received mischievous grins from them.

"He bought you a bear!!" Mickie squealed.

"Awwww... Ria!!" Candice squealed with the same intensity.

"Stop squealing. We've been doing that since a while ago." Maria complained but it was obvious that she was trying to stop herself from smiling.

"You are SO crushing on John." Mickie teased while Candice snickered.

Maria could not keep it in any longer.

"Okay! There you have it! I like John. More than a friend. You happy now?" Maria admitted, putting her hands up. Mickie and Candice's jaws dropped.

"Ria... We were just kidding." Candice whispered.

"Well, I am certainly not." Maria muttered. And once again, squeals broke loose.

"I need to go out for a sec." Maria headed for the door.

"Okay. Go see Johnny." Candice giggled. Maria rolled her eyes as she shut the door.

.:.

At the same time, Randy and Jeff were in John's room.

"Do you think she liked it? Come on. It was cheesy wasn't it? It was!" Randy buried his face in one of the sofa pillows.



"Get a grip Randy. I bet Mickie loved it. As long as she was with you." Jeff rolled his eyes.

"It was a damn cheesy movie!" Randy muffled.

"You already said she kissed you. Obviously she loved it. Now get of my pillow before you drool on it." John pulled the pillow away from him. Jeff pushed John lightly on the shoulders.

"John, Randy is being paranoid about Mickie and you care about your pillow?" Jeff chuckled. "Here Randy have some Skittles." He said as he reached in his pocket for some. Randy got another pillow and buried his face deeper.

"Randy GET A GRIP!" Jeff screamed as he snatched the pillows. Randy glared at him.

"Easy for you to say Mr. I-wrote-a-song-for-my-girlfriend-and-she-loved-it." A pack of Skittles hit his nose. "Owwww."

"She. Loved. It." Jeff said slowly. John was chuckling at a corner.

"What are you laughing at?" Randy asked John as he popped some skittles in his mouth. John snorted which caused Randy to choke.

"Ughh!!" Jeff fell back on the bed giving up.

"Jeff. Up. Now. Come." Randy ordered.

"Where?" Jeff asked, confused.

"We're going to buy pizza. I haven't had pizza in weeks." Randy told him with pleading eyes.

"Randy. There is something you call delivery. Grab a phone and call." John said a-matter-of-factly.

"See, there's this difference. If I get the pizza delivered, little kids, cool guys not to mention hot girls won't see me and ask for my autograph. It's for their sake." Randy said as he did his pose. John and Jeff rolled their eyes.

"Oh fine. Bring me some back. Here's my key. I won't be going anywhere." John threw his keys to Jeff who was on the process of getting up. "You know what to get me."

"We're just ordering out." Randy told him.

"Sure."

A few minutes after they left, he heard someone knock. "They forgot to bring money. That's it." John told himself, thinking it was Randy and Jeff.

"You forgot money didn't y--" John stopped to see Maria looking at him peculiarly.

"Why would I bring money?" She asked.

"Oh. Not you. I thought it was Rands and Jeff. They went out for pizza." John explained. "Come in." He said when he realized he was blocking her from entering.

"Pizza? Then it's a good thing I went here." She joked.

"You know what? I'll send a message to Randy to buy you girls some pizza too." John said but he already sent the message.

When he turned to face Maria, his jaw dropped when he saw her lying on the sofa. It turned him on. He gulped.

"Uh..." _Great! I'm at a loss for words. _"You do know Randy buried his face in those pillows?"

Maria bolted up. "Ewww. He might have drool in this." She picked it up and threw it to John and hit him square on the nose.

"What the..." John ran to the sofa and caught her before she had the chance to run. She pinned her to the sofa. He had planned to count to three, but now he was just staring.



Her beautiful emerald eyes glowed as he looked into them. He gently rubbed his thumb over her cheek. At that moment, she was the most important thing to him. She did not push him away. She just lay there, taking in the warmth that covered her. John felt her arms yank him forward and the gap between them closed. They felt high. They went deeper into the kiss and his tongue begged for entrance. He gently licked her lips and the pleasure made her moan. At her sound, he felt himself harden. As he explored her mouth he pulled her up and she saddled on him. Now her arms are wrapped around his head. She was lost in his touch. She felt his hands roam her body and Maria could not care less. He felt his bulge between her legs and she smirked at what she made him do. They gasped for air.

"I never ever told but I love you. And it has been bugging me for months so I'm telling you now. You are my everything." John whispered in her ear before he let his lips brush her neck.

"I love you." Maria whispered just the same as he looked into his eyes. "I love you." She said once more.

They were once again lost in each other. Their bodies controlled them and gave up to them. All they had in mind was each other and everything else was forgotten.

"What the hell!"

John and Maria broke free from each other, startled. They snapped their heads and were shocked to face Randy Orton. He was holding 3 boxes of pizza and he was obviously shocked. Jeff, who was behind him had his jaw dropped as he hugged 6 cans of soda.

"Whazzamatter?" They heard someone call from the hall. The door was still open and Mickie James' head popped in. "Someone drop the pizza?!" She jokingly asked.

Another faint voice was heard, distinctly, it was Candice's. "Really, what's the use of telling us to get pizza here? If it really dropped, too bad. That's such a waste of -- NO WAY!"

She glanced to where everyone was looking and her jaw dropped just like the others. On the sofa, John was sitting down and Maria was on top of him. Her hands rested on his chest and they were both flushed. It could only mean one thing. "They made out." Candice gasped.

On instinct, Maria got off John and stood up. She bit her bottom lip. Soon, John stood up beside her with his hands in his pocket. (You guys know why.)

"So where's the pizza?" Maria uncomfortably spoke up. She walked over to Randy and grabbed the boxes while John said nothing and yanked the drinks that Jeff was hugging. Their friends, still in a state of shock just watched them as they set the food on the table. Mickie walked over to Randy and grinned at him while she hangs on to his arm. They exchanged winks but they said nothing. Candice stood beside Jeff who snaked his arm around her waist. Candice moved her hand all over Jeff's shirt, which was wet due to the cold drinks that he... hugged.

"If you guys are not going to come and eat, we are going to finish this by ourselves." John finally spoke up. They walked over to the table and sat down.

"Well?" Maria looked at them strangely. Then they heard the highest glass-breaking squeal that could have won a record in Guinness. It came from both Candice and Mickie. The guys and Maria covered their ears and ducked. Jeff who sitting beside Candice, and Randy by Mickie covered their mouths and told them to keep quiet. From there, John chuckled and winked at Maria, who was giggling with him.

"Are you together now?" Jeff asked. Quietly, he kept glancing at Candice because he was afraid she might squeal again. John and Maria looked at each other for a few seconds.



"Mhmmmm." They said while nodding. They moved their chairs closer to each other and Maria put her head on John's shoulder.

"Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh!!" Mickie said while fanning herself and shaking Randy, who was laughing at his girlfriend's reaction.

"I never expected it to happen so quickly." Candice said quietly.

"Neither did we." John and Maria said at the same time.

"Y'know what?" Randy spoke.

"What?"

"This calls for a celebration!" He said as he reached out for a slice of pizza and held it up.

"To the new couple!"

"To the new couple!" Mickie, Candice and Jeff repeated as they got their own slices.

"No. To us." John said.

"To us." Everybody repeated.

"I can't believe we are actually toasting with pizza." Maria shook her head while laughing.

"We do crazy things when we're in love." Randy told them.

"You are so cheesy." Mickie rolled her eyes at him.

"SEE JEFF! I TOLD YOU!!" Randy exclaimed as he got the pillow from the floor that Maria threw at John and buried his face in it.

"Randy, you have issues." Jeff said and everybody laughed. For making everybody laugh, Jeff was rewarded by Candice with a kiss.

Mickie hugged Randy, who still had his face buried in a pillow. "I love your cheesiness."

As John put his drink down, Maria pulled his face down for his lips to meet hers for a slight peck on the lips.

.:.

_AN: They're together. Are you guys happy now? Huh? J/K J/K. Now that they're together, I might end the fic soon. :D Getting closer to the end. Next chap might be the last. So there. Now I really really want reviews now. hinthint_


	20. As the Sun Sets

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story. Don't own almost all the characters.

**As the Sun Sets**

"Are we there yet?" Randy whined. They were in the minivan that John rented. They were spending the weekend at the beach. It had been a long drive and Randy was becoming impatient.

"Shut your mouth baby or I'll shut it for you." Mickie, who was beside him, snapped.

"Hm. It depends. How will you shut me up?" He asked flirtatiously. Mickie winked at him and smirked and she leaned forward. Randy was about to kiss her.

"I'll punch you in the nose." She growled and leaned back to her seat. John sniggered from the driver's seat and Randy scowled and moped. Mickie inwardly snickered and pulled Randy in for a kiss.

Behind them were Jeff and Candice, who were snuggling while playing a video game.

"Yeah! I won." Candy said.

"You did." Jeff grinned and hugged her. He let her win, but he won't tell her. Candice eyed him weirdly.

"You let me win didn't you?" She asked him as she elbowed his arm. "Unbelievable! I want a rematch!"

"Candice. Sweetheart, you won okay. Why do you want a rematch?" Jeff told her softly.

"Because it was cheating! You know I hate cheating." Candice exclaimed.

"Okay, okay." Jeff sighed.

"Yay Jeffy. I will still kick your butt even if you don't let me win." Candice boasted. Jeff just grinned knowing he would still win.

"Hey." John caught Maria's attention.

"Yes?"

"I've been driving for a long time. Don't I deserve a kiss?" He hopefully asked her.

"You do but you're driving. We don't want any accidents." She smirked.

"Aw come on. I can do multitasking." He was looking at the road.

"No. Later. When we get there." She said.

"Promise?"

Maria said nothing. She just linked her arm to his and leaned on it.

.:.

"I love the breeze." Maria said as she tilted her head and breathed in the air. The beach was not populated. About 2 families were there and they were at the far end of the shore.

"I love you." John whispered as he passed by her carrying the basket of food. She stared after him smirking.

She felt someone grab her hand. She swirled to see Mickie grinning.

"Come on." She said as she yanked her forward. "Don't just stay here." She giggled as she ran after Mickie. When they reached their spot Maria looked back and say Randy carrying a cooler with Jeff beside him dragging a large umbrella, carrying 2 fairly big blankets and a floating bed (_AN: If that's what it's called._). Candice was beside Jeff applying suntan lotion on her skin.

"Hey guys! The water is cool." John called from the shore. He motioned for them to come over. The girls immediately went while Randy and Jeff set up the spot.



"Johnny..." Maria seductively called John. He winked at her and went closer to her. Unexpectedly, Maria splashed some water on him.

"Why you..." He laughed as he scooped up seawater and splashed them on Maria. He chased her and carried her bridal style and he twirled her around. She was begging for him to stop but he wouldn't. Mickie and Candice came to her rescue and bombed John with seawater. As a result he let Maria down.

"You girls are going to get it now." As soon as John spoke, Candice and Mickie got up behind their boyfriends. Maria was left all alone.

"Peace. I'm sorry. Don't splash." She begged. John was going to splash her anyway but before he could, Maria went near to him and distracted him with one of her kisses. It was just a quick one but it distracted him nonetheless. They just stood there staring at each other until they were startled by a splash. Turned out their friends are already in their swimming attire and they were swimming. It was Jeff who splashed them when he was running to the deeper part of the waters. John and Maria went out of the waters for a while to leave their shirts, pants and skirts at the spot where their friends left theirs. Soon, the two of them joined Randy, Jeff, Mickie and Candice in a splashy watery fun game. They stayed in the water for an hour before finally rising to have a snack.

They were enjoying there cupcakes when Jeff got some icing from his cupcake and smeared it on Candice's nose. Candice pouted and planned to let Jeff taste some of his own medicine. Jeff got away quickly and Candice chased him around the blanket.

"Hey you'll get sand all over the food." Randy complained. Candice went near him and smeared the icing on his cheek. Mickie burst out laughing and Randy put on an "oh yeah?" face and smeared some of his cupcake's icing on her chin. Mickie decided not to put any icing on Randy. She noticed John and Maria were acting so innocent and decided to pass the icing smearification to John... on his forehead. John gave Maria a mischievous grin and started chasing her because she took off in an instant. With the cupcake in hand, she screamed as John caught up with her and smeared icing on both her cheek bones, as if she was in the army. She groaned realizing who she had to catch.

"Jeffyyyyyy!" She shouted as she chased him. He was already 2 meters away. She knew just what to do. She leaped forward and her long legs got her far and she reached out to grab the hem of Jeff's shirt. She let him drag her to where ever he ran, as long as she would not lose her grip.

"Because... you... started... this... nonsense... You SHALL PAYYY!" She exclaimed. She didn't bother getting some icing anymore. She stuck the whole cupcake onto Jeff's mouth. He took off the pastry and he faced his friends. He looked like a clown.

"All right, Ria!" John chuckled as Maria neared him. She gave him a hug before getting another cupcake. As they wiped the icing of their faces, they settled down to finish their snack.

After cleaning up, Mickie reached for a bag and dug inside.

"Mickie, what are you lookin' for?" Randy perplexed as he looked at Mickie's face disappear through the bag.

"These." She said as she pulled out a small shovel and a pail. "Come on Randy, I brought these along. I haven't built a sand castle ever since I was a child. I miss those days." She pleaded as she looked at him with puppy dog eyes. Randy gave her his sweetest smile.

"A sand castle?" He raised an eyebrow. Mickie frowned. "How about a replica of our house?" Randy winked as he spoke.

The rest watched them walk off to the shore.



"Do you want to wade?" Jeff whispered to Candice.

"Sure."

They neared the waters hand in hand, leaving John and Maria alone. They shared a comfortable silence as John scooped up a handful of sand while Maria buried her toes in the sand. She leaned on John's chest listening to his calm heartbeat as she closed her eyes. The day is nearing its end and the sun is close to setting.

.:.

"Did I ever tell you I love you?" Jeff asked Candice as he removed a strand of her hair from her face.

Candice giggled. "Countless times. I'm not complaining. Did I ever tell you I love you too?" She returned his question.

"Maybe twice or thrice, but that's just fine. I would want more, honestly." Jeff joked with a soft voice.

Candice slapped him lightly on the arm.

"That's not true. And even if it were, words can't express what you mean to me anyway." She said as she hugged him tight. "Jeff?"

"Yes?"

"I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you." She whispered.

"I love you more." He said.

"I love you infinity." She grinned.

"Oh, you win this time." He said as he leaned in for a kiss.

.:.

"Naw... The garage shouldn't be at the left of the house. It should be at the right. So when I get inside the car, I wouldn't have to travel around the car." Randy chuckled as Mickie started to unload the sand from the bucket on the left of the half finished sand house. She brought it up just in time.

"Well fine. If it works that way." She moved the bucket to the right side as she rolled her eyes. "But I was planning to put a tree house there."

"The tree house can be at the left." He said as he took the bucket from her.

"Now for the roof." Mickie checked.

Randy started chuckling.

"What? What's wrong with a roof?" Mickie asked him as she leaned on his shoulder.

"Nothing. I'm just happy and at the same time surprised that we're planning on our house." He said as he rubbed Mickie's cheek with the back of his hand. Mickie laughed along with him.

"Haha. I remember my first impression of you, Randy. When I was new and psychotic." Mickie giggled.

"Yeah? What was your first impression?" Randy curiously asked her.

"You're a moron." Mickie snorted.

"And when you became close to me?"

"You're a moron." Mickie laughed. "Who happens to be very sweet and can make me happy all the time." She continued.

"Well, my first impression of you was that you were funny, hot and fun to be with." Randy whispered as he brushed his lips on her cheek.

"And was it right?"

"Hell yeah. Just add insane." He laughed as she looked at him. "That's one of the things I love about you Mickie."



She softened up. "Oh, and what are the others things?"

"I could go on and on for days." He said as he leaned in and kissed her. She leaned back and put her arms around him and their lips met once again.

.:.

Maria felt John's arms around her shoulder. She looked up at him.

"I always thought we would be best friends forever." She told him. "I never thought we could be something more."

John nodded. "I did too. But there was something in your eyes the day I returned. Something I never noticed before."

Maria looked at him. "What?"

"I don't know. But I know I melt every time I look into them. Like everything will be alright and I feel happy. You give me happiness." He said as he watched the horizon.

They remained silent for a while as Maria drew a heart in the sand with her finger.

"John, you don't know how much you make me happy." She said as she entwined hands with John. "You make me laugh when I'm on the verge of crying, you keep me company when I'm alone and most of all, you make me feel loved."

"That's because I can't stand seeing you not happy. And I make you feel loved because you really are loved." He smiled, his dimples showing.

She giggled, making him melt.

"I love you." She told him.

"I love you too." He replied as he pecked her cheek.

He gave her a hug and she hugged back. Together they faced the horizon and saw the sun was setting. On the sandy shore, Mickie and Randy were making out. Standing in the waters, Jeff and Candice were kissing.

Maria was looking at them and a small smile formed on her face. "John, I didn't expect this to happen. We are a group of best friends and each of us found their true love in each other. We helped each other through bad times and celebrated through the good times. We supported each other through everything. When we had arguments, they were easily resolved. We were that close to becoming siblings. Who would have thought that we could have feelings for each other?" She said as she tilted her head to John.

John looked back at her with loving eyes. His love for her could not be expressed in words and he felt the need to tell her he loves her. Before their lips met as the sun bid good bye, he opened his mouth to say something.

"I know. It just _**Never Crossed My Mind**__._"

**The End**

.:.

_AN: And alas NCMM has reached its end. My first fanfic, completed. 20 chapters of denial, love, humor, and PIZZA. I am sorry for those who wanted it to continue, but classes are starting and if I will continue it, I will have a hard time updating._

_BUT!! There will be a sequel, you can count on that. ;D It might not be started soon, but there will be one. I promise. I am entering the most stressful year in high school and I might sacrifice my fanfic writing time for studies. So, watch out for the sequel. So you'll know I started it, you can always put me on author alert. LOL._

_Thank you for all my readers and reviewers. Thank you to all who added NCMM in their favorites and/or story alerts. Being a newbie, I really appreciate all the good things said about my masterpiece. Lol. So there, I hope you enjoyed my story and I hope you leave reviews for me too enjoy._

_-CarbonOxygen_


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